Maritime Spatial Planning from a fisheries perspective

Francis O’Donnell, Federation of Irish Fishermen

Maritime spatial planning is an important concept but what does it actually mean? The language itself can be technical and jargoned for those not attached to the various marine sectors. In the main it means having a plan to share our marine space between stakeholders interested and involved in commercial fisheries, aquaculture, shipping, ecosystem conservation, hydrocarbon extraction, renewable energy, marine tourism and leisure.

Demand for space in the marine environment across Europe is increasing, as we turn to the sea to answer the many economic challenges we are facing. As the demand grows for that space, conflict will surely follow. It is envisioned that maritime spatial planning will attempt to reduce potential friction between sectors and identify sustainable uses of the maritime space with climate change being a fundamental pillar to guide this process.

Fishermen and women have been fishing the seas of the world long before records began. Fishing can still be regarded as a hunter-gatherer way of life, full of risks and unknowns. Fisherpersons are no longer alone in seeking their quarry from the seas. Seismic activity is now common place along the entire Irish coastline. This is simply a hunter of a different kind waiting to gather their bounty, one seeking to exploit what Mother Nature has laid down millions of years ago in the form of oil and gas reserves.

The sea is now regarded as the new economic frontier and as technology develops other sectors such as wind and wave energy will expand. This is already happening and therefore coexistence will be critical and in some cases difficult. Profit and protection of the environment seldom go hand in hand; humans have proved time and time again that we are poor guardians of the environment.

A chink of light is offered in that all member states have been tasked with ensuring that the share of energy from renewable sources in gross final consumption of energy in 2020 is at least 20% ― an ambitious task but a step in the right direction. The European Commission recently published its proposal for establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning and integrated coastal zone management and organised its first workshop, in Dublin, on June 14.

I was asked to speak on behalf of the Federation of Irish Fishermen on the area of coexistence between sectors. I made it clear that the Irish fishing industry will not be pushed to one side but that we did see opportunities and synergies with other sectors. Many of our members are keen to provide support services to other sectors such as oil, gas and wind and we are actively working on a plan with the Marine Survey Office to have vessels surveyed and ready to perform those services when they arise.

I very much shot from the hip in that I tried to identify the many challenges and impediments at national level to rolling out marine spatial planning in Ireland. It is the Federation’s view that one agency is needed to manage planning and compliance in the marine space and that too many agencies are currently involved. We clearly are world leaders in the marine knowledge field and have the expertise scattered across various agencies.

This is a nightmare for investors; we believe a one stop shop is required. The policy at government level is to subsume agencies back into their respective parent departments. We believe that if politicians want blue growth and those elusive green shoots we are always hearing about, they need to think outside the box and create a new agency with the expertise to manage economic potential in the marine environment.

FIF sees licensing and planning consents for existing and sectorial development as major obstacles in realising a successful integrated marine plan for Ireland. For example, there is considerable frustration regarding the long delays (years rather than months) being experienced by those involved in the aquaculture licensing process.

We should be a world leader in this field; sadly we have lost our competitive advantage in this sector. The Government needs to take immediate action to remove the obstacles at present in all three of these areas as there is a perception both within and outside Ireland that we are not ‘open for business’.

The attraction of inward investment in various marine sectors is of vital importance to enable Ireland deliver on the potential of our marine space within our EEZ. Therefore we need to ensure that the processes for the granting of such licences and permissions are revised and streamlined so that the message can be communicated that not only is Ireland ‘open for business’ but that we actually welcome it.

As an industry we have to accept that the marine space does not belong to us and that we need to share it. Equally we have a responsibility to ensure its protection so that our ancient hunter-gatherer tradition is not extinguished.

We also need to ensure that we are central to decision-making in terms of marine spatial planning in Ireland. All other sectors are gearing up to carve out their respective niches. We are already using this space and it is important to keep our eye on the ball and know what the other players are doing.

They are competitors of sorts but I believe symbiotic relationships can be developed between various sectors bringing economic opportunities to the fishing sector and coastal communities in general. This is only the beginning.