Can offshore wind farms offer regenerative solutions for depleted fish stocks?

Abstract

Climate change and targets for growing electrification has led to an increasing demand for space to produce renewable energy in coastal areas causing conflicts with the fishing industry. To address these conflicts, studies suggest that offshore wind farms (OWF) can serve as marine protected areas, benefiting biodiversity and potentially fisheries. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term impacts on fishing opportunities of three potential wind farm projects in the Skagerrak; Mareld, Västvind, and Poseidon, including the impacts on target species abundance change in the area and the feasibility for the local fishing industry to adapt to potential spatial changes of fishing grounds and target species abundance. Assuming wind farm areas function as no take zones (NTZs), prohibiting trawling and conserving benthic ecosystems, this study uses a combination of literature data on abundance increase and spillover effects from NTZs to model target species abundance change, and interviews with fishermen to analyze effects and potential changes needed in the fishing industry. The results indicate that target species abundances in areas surrounding the OWF could increase after construction. After 9 years post-OWF construction the Norway lobster fishing opportunity in areas surrounding the wind farms may be up to 97% of catches in the study area before construction. The regenerative and spillover effects vary by OWF-area and fishery, depending on initial target species abundance. The results further highlight the fishing industry's complexity and challenges in adapting to changing practices due to factors like safety concerns, financial issues, worry of increased competition and lack of understanding from government agencies. Despite this, this case study concludes that there is a great possibility that OWF can restore degraded ecosystems, regenerate fish stocks and at the same time allow for certain fishing practices. Thus, be a “push” to shift to more sustainable fishing practices than currently used. Challenges exists, especially in the planning and trust process, to achieve successful co-existence between the fishing and OWF- industries.