Volume 1: The Fishing Vessel Energy Baseline
Abstract
This report, part of the Enabling Conditions for a Low Carbon Fishing Fleet series, describes the current landscape of energy consumption in fisheries. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data from interviews with 148 fishing businesses across Alaska, the West Coast, and New England, the report synthesizes comparative data for eight fleets with a major presence in our sample (Alaska salmon seine, Bristol Bay gillnet, New England bottom trawl, New England gillnet, New England inshore lobster, New England scallop dredge, Southern California pot/hook/dive, and West Coast tuna/crab/salmon) and five fleets with a minor presence in our sample (Alaska longline/troll, Alaska salmon tenders, New England hook and line, New England midwater trawl, and Port Orford fisheries).
The first part of the report compares indicators of energy consumption reported by fishermen for the eight major fleets in our sample. These include annual fuel consumption, energy burden, engine age and EPA tier rating, and number of ports used. This data is accompanied by fishermen’s comments on energy burden, including an analysis of the impacts of the 2022 diesel price spike on fishing businesses. Fuel costs as a percentage of gross vessel revenue rose from a median of 10% to 15% during this year, making the case for investments in energy resilience that buffer fishing businesses against future shocks of this type.
The second section of the report explores how the feasibility of — and value derived from — any single on-vessel energy solution may be influenced by a number of factors specific to the receiving vessel, including vessel length, hull type, available space and weight, engine type, length of trips, number and characteristics of ports used, duty cycle, performance criteria, fishing gear considerations, fleet competition, target species’, and type and importance of non-propulsion loads. These aspects vary both between and within the 13 fleets in our sample, underlining the importance of assessing vessel fit prior to encouraging, incentivizing, or adopting specific energy solutions.
The final part of the report is a set of fleet profiles that present data on hull characteristics, power plant characteristics, energy burdens, non-propulsion loads, trip length, port characteristics, and energy innovation opportunities for each of the major (and where available, for the minor) fleets represented in our sample. These profiles can be used in tandem with the volumes in the Technology Pathways to a Low Carbon Fishing Fleet series to understand, at a more granular level, the feasibility and appeal of diverse energy solutions across vessels and fleets.
