Advancing Research for the Co-Existence of Fishing, Coastal Communities and Regional Ocean Renewable Energies

Purpose: Research that enhances understanding and improves co-location/multi-use management of ocean renewable energy development and other marine activities and end-user applications, including but not limited to commercial and recreational fishing, non-grid connected energy systems, tourism, offshore aquaculture, and ocean observing. Co-location/multi-use is defined as an intentional joint use of space and resources by two or more users in close geographic proximity.

Research topics should consider anthropogenic and environmental factors that influence multi-use potential, including but not limited to:

• Advance multi-use of ocean structures and other marine activities through research design(s) (e.g., application of control sites, approaches to allow continued fishing among other marine uses), policies and strategies (e.g., legal, social acceptance, and other services), and/or technological solutions (e.g., sensors, inspection, and servicing).
• Develop adaptive approaches for synergistic activities for co-location, including access to fishing ground or locations among offshore infrastructure.
• Assess multi-use activities for economic risk, safety, social acceptance, and/or environmental justice values through suitable analyses.
• Study conditions and dependencies (e.g., seabed type, habitat condition and availability, marine resource abundance and availability, ocean conditions, distance to shore, foundation/technology, existing use density and dependence) to facilitate co-location of uses (e.g., aquaculture, fishing, and ocean renewable energy).
• Develop spatial analyses and methods that may support technological, data collection, and tool development and/or multi-use planning processes within ocean energy structures.