OCEAN CITY, Md. - One boat captain had to stand his ground to protect his fishing equipment nearly 8 miles off the coast of Worcester County. Captain Jimmy Hahn says the boat, operated by US Wind, is plowing through an area where he has his fishing pots and damaging not only his but other fishermen’s equipment as well.
“It was scary, the boat was 150 foot, I am in a 45 foot boat, they are in a 150 foot boat with a 30 foot bow. Its very scary, but I didn't know what else to do it was the only way I figured I could have saved my pots,” Hahn said.
In a statement to WBOC, the company says, “US Wind strives to coexist peacefully and communicate with all mariners in and around our Lease area. Our scientific research vessel operates with the highest levels of safety and with the approval of several federal government agencies. It’s troubling to us that a fisherman has threatened the safety of our crew operating in the open ocean. We have informed the U.S. Coast Guard of his actions and we understand that they have contacted him. We are working on securing an in-person meeting with the affected fisherman to discuss moving forward in a more constructive way. In the meantime, there is no excuse for putting safety at risk offshore.
Hahn says US Wind also offered to pay 80 dollars per damaged pot, but he says the problem goes beyond the damaged equipment.
“The cost of the pot is not the issue here, what we are losing is the pot's capability to catch throughout the year,” Hahn said.
Hahn says he expects the survey operations to continue throughout the end of December.
