Charlotte Clubley1, Niels Holst1, Janus Larsen1, Antonio Agüera2, Mads Hecter3, Teis Boderskov1, Annette Bruhn1, Marie Maar1
1Aarhus University, Denmark - 2Institute of Marine Research, Norway - 3Kerteminde Seafarm Aps, Denmark
In just five years’ time global demand for seafood will exceed supply by 40 million metric tonnes, yet production in Europe is constrained by competition for marine space. Therefore, maximising spatial efficiency across competing Blue Economy sectors is critical to meet future aquaculture needs. In Europe, offshore wind farms (OWF) dominate ocean space and present an ideal candidate for ‘multi-use’ with aquaculture. However, the open ocean remains largely untapped as a farming resource and consequently production potential within OWFs remains an unknown. Here, we use a 3D coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model, combined with growth models for two key low-trophic aquaculture species – Mytilus edulis and Saccharina latissima – to assess harvest potential within an OWF in the Southern Baltic Sea. We explore several scenarios to determine the maximum carrying capacity for aquaculture within the OWF area. Our results demonstrate a framework for farm location selection within OWFs, aiming to not only maximise seafood production but also the provision of co-beneficial ecosystem services, including nutrient uptake and carbon sequestration. This work represents a significant advancement in spatial planning for OWF-aquaculture multi-use, providing a framework that can be applied globally to support the design and development of sustainable offshore aquaculture and balance the growing demands of the Blue Economy with the urgent need to protect and restore marine ecosystems.
Biography
Dr Charlotte Clubley is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Ecoscience at Aarhus University, Denmark. In this role, she is involved in a number of projects assessing the impacts of, and potential opportunities associated with, offshore wind farms. Notably, she is modelling the potential for co-location of low-trophic aquaculture with offshore wind farms as a part of the EU-funded OLAMUR project, and the stepping-stone effect of offshore wind farms for non-indigenous species dispersal.