THREE generations of Trinklers were standing alongside a cast of thousands at Nelson Bay on Saturday to rally against an offshore wind project.
George Trinkler has been fishing the area for more than half-a-century with his dad George Senior, and his son Joe loves throwing in a line too.
They oppose the Hunter Offshore Wind Zone and were joined by a crowd of what organisers estimated to be more than 2000 people at the marina.
The rally came amid a groundswell of community concern about the project's consultation period and its potential to affect marine life, ocean currents and the tourism economy.
"We're here to stick up for all the fish and the whales and the dolphins and everything," George Trinkler told the Newcastle Herald.
"They're trying to turn us into an industry but we're all about having fun on the water, not building bloody turbines and rubbish like that."
He said his family had fished the area for generations and intended to keep doing that.
"The idea of building something like this over a pristine waterway is just insane," he said.
The Port Stephens community and game fishing club have claimed they weren't aware of the government's two-month consultation period and asked federal energy minister Chris Bowen to reopen it, but he refused.
"The community here is outraged that the government would force something like this on us," Mr Trinkler said.
"We're not against renewable energy, we all need that, it's not that we don't need renewable energy, it's just not here not now."
The protest drew a crowd from the local area and further afield, and was attended by representatives from One Nation, the Liberal party and Nationals, including New England MP Barnaby Joyce, who filmed the crowd chanting "bugger off Bowen, the wind farms are going".
Mr Trinkler said it gave him hope it wasn't too late to change course.
"We'll turn the tide, it's got to change, they can't do this here, it won't happen," he said.
Whale watching skipper and director of Port Stephens Tourism, Frank Future, spoke at the rally and said the crowd needed to champion the whales, dolphins and other marine life that didn't have a voice.
Mr Bowen told the Herald in a statement that the community would have three further opportunities to have a say on any individual wind farm projects that are proposed for the zone.
"Before a project can commence, proponents must seek and receive approval for feasibility licences and comply with strict environmental regulations," he said.
He said the consultation period that had already passed saw 40,000 letterbox drops carried out, seven community drop-in sessions, and had drawn 1900 public submissions.
He said the wind zone would create 3000 construction jobs, 1500 ongoing jobs, generate enough power for four million homes, and the government would only licence projects set to deliver "long-lasting community benefits".
About 100 protestors greeted Mr Bowen when he arrived at a meeting at Nelson Bay last month to discuss community concerns about the project.
Speaking in Newcastle the following day, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese argued modifications had already been made to the original offshore wind proposal as a result of earlier feedback, including reducing the project's footprint and increasing its distance from the coast.
Hunter Workers, Hunter Jobs Alliance and Business Hunter released a joint statement ahead of the event on Saturday to "staunchly support" the project and "reject the unsubstantiated and entirely misleading claims regarding wind turbine impacts on the environment".
