Sea Services North America (SSNA), the nation’s leading fishermen’s co-op, has experienced significant success with its newly launched Gear Claims program.

This innovative service allows offshore wind developers to outsource gear claim administration and compensation processes to SSNA, creating a win-win scenario for both developers and local fishing communities.

According to Rodney Avila, a longtime fisherman and the Safety Manager at SSNA, the Gear Claims program is quickly becoming a preferred solution for offshore wind developers.

“The outreach is best done face to face and fisherman to fisherman,” Avila said. “What works best is that you are talking the fishing language. If you send someone who doesn’t understand fishing language it can get complicated. They simply do not understand what’s being said, like how the fishing gear is used or the terminology fishermen use.”

Avila, with 50 years’ experience as a fisherman, continued: “Outsourcing gear claims to those who understand the waters, the gear, and the industry just makes sense. We know the different types of fixed gear, how they operate in the water, and often we know the fishermen who own them. We can act fast, for both our offshore wind customers, and for fishermen, increasing confidence in awards, and getting fishermen back to work with minimal disruption.”

SSNA’s Gear Claims Program in Action

Avila provided the recent example of Point Judith, R.I.-based fisherman Richard Lodge, who lost 15 lobster traps, ropes and other hardware before contacting Sea Services.

“We used the gear bank to get Richard back fishing in a short time,” Avila said. The gear bank replaced 15 lobster traps plus rope and all the hardware. Richard was back fishing in a few days. New pots would have taken him three months to replace. Without the gear bank, Richard would have lost revenue from those 15 lobster traps for three months.

Fisherman Wayne Iacon shared a similar experience, adding a dose of humor: “Well, the process was as smooth as can be, given that my gear was run over and lost. That’s definitely a serious pain and inconvenience, but SSNA are fishermen, so I can talk to them. They vetted the facts quickly and their offshore wind customer paid out fast.”

Gary Yerman, a longtime fisherman and co-founder of the SSNA Co-Op, said, “I guess the flip side of that is SSNA can smell B.S. quickly if a fisherman isn’t being completely on the level — but I don’t think that would ever happen,” he said with a chuckle.

A Key Value Proposition for Offshore Wind Developers  

The SSNA Gear Claims program is designed to solve a key challenge for offshore wind developers: managing the friction that arises when a gear loss claim is filed. These situations can disrupt relationships between developers and fishermen.

As soon as SSNA receives the gear loss claim, it immediately contacts the fisherman to gather facts — where, when, and how much gear was lost. SSNA then cross-references this information with data points, such as whether an offshore wind survey was being conducted nearby at the time of the loss. SSNA provides the offshore wind developer with an assessment of the claim, verifying its accuracy, the replacement value of the lost gear, and the potential need for downtime compensation. If everything is sufficient, SSNA works with the client to get the fisherman compensated quickly, minimizing project delays.

By outsourcing gear claims management to SSNA, offshore wind developers can focus on core operations while SSNA handles the delicate gear loss claims. “Developers truly want a harmonious relationship with local fishermen,” Avila added. “Our program ensures that fishermen are compensated fairly, and wind developers can keep their projects on schedule.”

A Key Value Proposition for Commercial Fishermen

How would a fisherman even know who to call when gear is lost, with multiple offshore wind developers operating in the same region?

As more offshore wind developers recognize the benefits of outsourcing gear claims to fishermen, SSNA’s Gear Claims program is set to expand.

“The SSNA Gear Claims program provides a single direct line to resolve these issues quickly and fairly, without the fisherman having to guess which developer was responsible,” Yerman said. “Gear Claims is part of our larger suite of services to offshore wind developers. First, we offer scout vessel work to actively prevent gear entanglements. After 11 campaigns and thousands of miles scouted, we’ve identified over a thousand pieces of fixed gear and have had zero gear strikes, which is a track record we’re proud of.”

Yerman continued, “This expertise goes hand in hand with our Offshore Fishing Liaison Officer work, where active fishermen serve as gear lookouts on the bridges of a customer’s large research vessel. And when gear does become entangled, our team is ready to process those claims quickly. Our goal is to build on this success and continue providing value to both developers and the fishing community.”

For more information about SSNA’s Gear Claims program and other services, contact Rodney Avila at (508) 889-0401 or via email at Rodney@ss-na.com.