Fulton Fish Market Workers Rally Against Empire Wind, Urging Trump to Protect Seafood Industry
Unionized Bronx-based seafood workers and coastal advocates unite in a high-stakes legal and public battle to halt the Empire Wind project, citing threats to jobs, food security, and the marine ecosystem.
Key Highlights:
- Fulton Fish Market hosts emergency rally against Empire Wind in Bronx.
- Workers, fishing leaders, and activists urge President Trump to stop the project.
- Legal coalition formed to protect U.S. seafood supply and coastal livelihoods.
- Industry leaders claim Empire Wind offers minimal permanent jobs while threatening tens of thousands.
In a charged show of unity and concern, workers at the 203-year-old Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx rallied on July 15, urging former President Donald J. Trump to intervene and halt the controversial Empire Wind offshore wind project. The rally, organized by the Fulton Fish Market Cooperative alongside Protect Our Coast New Jersey (POCNJ) and other allied groups, spotlighted what speakers described as an existential threat to America’s seafood industry and coastal communities.
Held at the Hunts Point facility—America’s largest fish market—the rally drew seafood workers, fishing advocates, and environmentalists who say the Empire Wind project, proposed off Long Island’s shores, will decimate traditional fishing grounds, cripple marine-based jobs, and disrupt the nation’s seafood supply chain.
“This isn’t just an industry, it’s a community that feeds people,” said Rose Willis, a member of POCNJ and wife of a commercial fisherman. “Behind every fish is a chain of people—from fishermen to ice-makers, packers to truckers—working hard to feed this country.”
The rally also marked a pivotal legal escalation. The Fulton Fish Market Cooperative has formally joined a broad federal lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court (Protect Our Coast New Jersey v. United States, Docket No: 25-cv-6890-GC-TJB), uniting plaintiffs across the seafood sector—from offshore trawlers to fish processors to Bronx wholesalers—against Empire Wind. The coalition includes groups like Clean Ocean Action, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, and multiple commercial fisheries from Cape May to New Bedford.
Nicole Ackerina, CEO of the Cooperative, stated: “Offshore wind is not a supplement to our industry, it is a direct replacement. It destabilizes seafood infrastructure, trades away American jobs, and provides no meaningful alternatives.”
The data, she argued, speaks volumes. In 2022 alone, New York’s seafood industry supported nearly 70,000 jobs and over $9.2 billion in sales. New Jersey’s numbers were even higher, with over 72,000 jobs and $12.9 billion in related commerce. “These are not expendable figures,” she stressed. “We feed America.”
Ackerina was joined by Warren Kremin, a shareholder in the Cooperative and principal at Blue Ribbon Fish, who criticized the lack of scientific transparency: “Where is the science? Where’s the data that justifies destroying fishing access and risking jobs?”
Bonnie Brady, Executive Director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, echoed this sentiment: “They say this project will create thousands of jobs. But in truth, Empire Wind only offers 53 permanent jobs—while tens of thousands who feed this country are on the line.”
At the heart of their concern is the disruption Empire Wind may cause to marine ecosystems. Speakers cited concerns about altered sea surface temperatures, impaired radar navigation, and disrupted migratory patterns. “These turbines will interfere with how the ocean feeds itself,” Brady said. “We may be unseen most of the time, but we will not be erased.”
Robin Shaffer, President of POCNJ, framed the protest as a national issue with bipartisan urgency. “The science is on our side. Offshore wind is unreliable, unaffordable, and unsafe. These are real union jobs—generational jobs—that feed Americans. We urge President Trump to stop Empire Wind, stop all offshore wind, and put America’s working coastlines first.”
Representatives from the rally have formally requested a meeting with the former president to voice their concerns directly. For now, their message is clear: offshore wind, while positioned as green infrastructure, may come at the cost of one of the oldest and most essential industries in America.
About Protect Our Coast New Jersey
Protect Our Coast NJ is a coalition of commercial fishermen, coastal advocates, and concerned citizens fighting to preserve marine ecosystems and sustain American seafood jobs in the face of unregulated offshore wind expansion.
