Rhode Island is in the center of a complicated conversation about the future of our oceans. Our state had the first 5 off-shore wind turbines in the country, and there are hundreds more planned nearby. But Rhode Island is also home to a vibrant fishing industry and they’re seeing their waters warming as fast as anywhere on earth. Some say off-shore wind is necessary to address climate change, others say it’s a gold rush and they’re worried fishermen and marine life will get caught up in the stampede. Can both these industries co-exist? We’ll hear from a panel of experts and then we’ll hear select questions from the audience.

Host: Megan Hall

Panelists:

David Beutel- Aquaculture Coordinator, Coastal Resources Management Council

Lanny Dellinger- lobsterman and chair of the Rhode Island Fisheries Advisory Board

Ed LeBlanc– Orsted’s Manager of Marine Affairs

Becca Selden- Assistant Professor of biological sciences at Wellesley College 

Kevin Stokesbury–  Professor of Fisheries Oceanography at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Divided Waters as recorded by Tom VanBuskirk and edited by James Baumgartner. Aaron Read provided technical support. Editorial oversight and fact-checking by Sally Eisele, Stephen Porder, and Nadine Sebai. Possibly’s theme song is by Tom VanBuskirk.

Divided Waters and Possibly are co-productions of The Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and The Public’s Radio.

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