social networks can provide significant political leverage for governance transformations as required for the move offshore. Moving beyond sole offshore operation
and maintenance aspects of multi-use offshore aquaculture, our proposed first
typology of socio-economic effects of aquaculture points to this aspect.
This typology aims to capture the socio-economic consequences and effects of
aquaculture, and more specifically offshore aquaculture. We have analyzed the current
knowledge of such effects for offshore aquaculture, including in a multi-use setting. The
socio-economic dimensions of offshore aquaculture in the existing literature relate
primarily to Attitudes and perceptions of stakeholders, Organization of and participation in planning for aquaculture, Direct benefits of aquaculture, and Negative effects
of aquaculture production activities and conflicts with other interests.
In regard to our proposed typology, we can detect considerable knowledge gaps in
all the different socio-economic dimensions. Most noteworthy are the gaps to the
specific multi-use issues of offshore aquaculture. Questions on who will benefit on
which level to which degree, who takes the burden of the associated risk, and who can
be made liable if a multi-use concept affects others in the offshore realm remain to be
addressed in more detail. Next to the yet emerging body of literature on the multi-use of
offshore waters for aquaculture, the current situation demonstrates clearly that within
the vast variety of regulations inside the EU, the EU Member States as well as in North
America, their implementation is as yet incipient and examples of best practice in
multi-use settings are needed (Krause et al. 2011). These need to combine different
knowledge systems (e.g. authorities, decision-makers, local communities, science, etc.)
to generate novel insights into the management of multiple uses of ocean space and to
complement risk‐justified decision-making.
Hence, social and regulatory issues will play a significant role in fostering or
hindering collaboration (Christie et al. 2014) for offshore aquaculture in both single and
multi-use settings. Given the significant volume of subsidies already used to promote
wind energy and smarter use of offshore resources, relatively modest technical or
financial support for co-production could provide the catalyst to more fully scope this
idea and hopefully move the focus of marine spatial planning a little closer to collaborative solutions (Griffin et al. 2015). In this regard, building partnerships amongst
actors and increasing ‘social capital’ can be a way forward in multi-use offshore
aquaculture. Localizing activities in marine spatial planning involves organizing a
knowledge base of particular social, cultural, ecological and economic values related to
the context of each marine activity. As most offshore aquaculture in a multi-use setting
will take place beyond national jurisdictions (although still in the EEZ), a debate on
who decides on the future of the sea and what criteria are used to take such decisions
remains to be worked out. Indeed, unresolved issues of ownership of the process, i.e.
which stakeholders are involved in the consent procedure and their relative influence
appear to be crucial (Krause et al. 2015). Furthermore, socio-economic dimensions in
aquaculture operation, e.g. emotional ownership of the sea/coastal area by the local
residents/stakeholders and the social values that drive this ownership are difficult to
capture in such remote offshore settings.
In addition to the issues of how to undertake a streamlined socio-economic
assessment based on the suggested typology, scale issues of the effects of
8 The Socio-economic Dimensions of Offshore …
179
and maintenance aspects of multi-use offshore aquaculture, our proposed first
typology of socio-economic effects of aquaculture points to this aspect.
This typology aims to capture the socio-economic consequences and effects of
aquaculture, and more specifically offshore aquaculture. We have analyzed the current
knowledge of such effects for offshore aquaculture, including in a multi-use setting. The
socio-economic dimensions of offshore aquaculture in the existing literature relate
primarily to Attitudes and perceptions of stakeholders, Organization of and participation in planning for aquaculture, Direct benefits of aquaculture, and Negative effects
of aquaculture production activities and conflicts with other interests.
In regard to our proposed typology, we can detect considerable knowledge gaps in
all the different socio-economic dimensions. Most noteworthy are the gaps to the
specific multi-use issues of offshore aquaculture. Questions on who will benefit on
which level to which degree, who takes the burden of the associated risk, and who can
be made liable if a multi-use concept affects others in the offshore realm remain to be
addressed in more detail. Next to the yet emerging body of literature on the multi-use of
offshore waters for aquaculture, the current situation demonstrates clearly that within
the vast variety of regulations inside the EU, the EU Member States as well as in North
America, their implementation is as yet incipient and examples of best practice in
multi-use settings are needed (Krause et al. 2011). These need to combine different
knowledge systems (e.g. authorities, decision-makers, local communities, science, etc.)
to generate novel insights into the management of multiple uses of ocean space and to
complement risk‐justified decision-making.
Hence, social and regulatory issues will play a significant role in fostering or
hindering collaboration (Christie et al. 2014) for offshore aquaculture in both single and
multi-use settings. Given the significant volume of subsidies already used to promote
wind energy and smarter use of offshore resources, relatively modest technical or
financial support for co-production could provide the catalyst to more fully scope this
idea and hopefully move the focus of marine spatial planning a little closer to collaborative solutions (Griffin et al. 2015). In this regard, building partnerships amongst
actors and increasing ‘social capital’ can be a way forward in multi-use offshore
aquaculture. Localizing activities in marine spatial planning involves organizing a
knowledge base of particular social, cultural, ecological and economic values related to
the context of each marine activity. As most offshore aquaculture in a multi-use setting
will take place beyond national jurisdictions (although still in the EEZ), a debate on
who decides on the future of the sea and what criteria are used to take such decisions
remains to be worked out. Indeed, unresolved issues of ownership of the process, i.e.
which stakeholders are involved in the consent procedure and their relative influence
appear to be crucial (Krause et al. 2015). Furthermore, socio-economic dimensions in
aquaculture operation, e.g. emotional ownership of the sea/coastal area by the local
residents/stakeholders and the social values that drive this ownership are difficult to
capture in such remote offshore settings.
In addition to the issues of how to undertake a streamlined socio-economic
assessment based on the suggested typology, scale issues of the effects of
8 The Socio-economic Dimensions of Offshore …
179