Spotlight on Science

Each month, an expert from the Marine Institute will shine a light on their area of work, sharing insights on our ocean knowledge. As the national agency responsible for supporting the sustainable development of our marine resources, the Marine Institute delivers scientific knowledge, expert advice and services to government, industry and a wide range of stakeholders.

In this monthly column, Caitriona Nic Aonghusa (Section Manager - Marine Spatial Planning), explains the scientific work behind the proposed National Designated Maritime Area Plan for Offshore Renewable Energy and how the approach attempts to achieve successful co-existence between seafood and commercial fishing activities and the emerging offshore wind industry.  

Supporting Ireland’s Marine Spatial Planning process: Evidence-led decision making

Ireland has adopted legally binding national targets to designate marine areas for energy generation and for ecosystem protection. To do this effectively, the Government has established a new plan-led process for Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), consenting of developments, and licencing of the usage of marine space. The Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 established the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) to oversee the consenting process, and gave new functions to An Bord Pleanála and Coastal Planning Authorities. The Marine Institute plays an important role within this new regime of Marine Spatial Planning. By equipping MSP processes with evidence and expertise, we inform Government decision making, and help to ensure transparency and accountability to the public and all stakeholders.

Ireland’s first Marine Spatial Plan (MSP), the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF), was passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas in 2021. The Marine Institute has been involved in the MSP process since 2014. The Institute provides impartial data and evidence to support the implementation of the NMPF, and to inform the evaluation and review of the NMPF. Marine data are collected through surveys, seagoing and laboratory work, in situ monitoring, and ocean modelling. These extensive marine data assets are re-used for MSP. MarinePlan.ie, Ireland’s marine planning portal, makes these data available to the marine planning community, and to be re-used to inform many marine planning queries. MarinePlan.ie also provides easy access to data and information on NMPF policies and marine activities. The marine activities map features over 100 layers covering 16 data themes related to MSP. 

 

With decades of accumulated data and knowledge, the Marine Institute plays a crucial role in implementing MSP to the highest standards. The Institute operates under an internationally accredited Data Management Quality Management Framework. This accreditation, together with best scientific practices and rigorous quality procedures, ensure that users can trust the quality of data produced and shared on our platforms. The ongoing collection, processing, and re-use of these data deliver the best information available to support MSP. However, re-using data for MSP is not without its challenges. Linking environmental, biodiversity, and socio-economic data requires multidisciplinary teams to evaluate inter-relationships and ensure the data are applied effectively across disciplines.

The transition to renewable energy is a significant element of national ambitions to achieve net-zero emissions in Ireland by 2050. The development of Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) generation is crucial to national plans to achieve climate targets, reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, and ensure energy security. A major milestone was achieved last month, when the Oireachtas passed Ireland’s first Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP). The NMPF aims to support existing and future sustainable economic activity, and ensure that fishing activities and ORE developments can coexist sustainably. The Marine Institute participates on the Seafood-ORE Working Group, providing the trustworthy evidence that supports fact-based engagement between fishers, ORE developers, and Government Departments. The spatial configuration of the South Coast DMAP for ORE was informed by analysing, quality assured marine data, publicly available on the Marine Institute’s data catalogue (data.marine.ie). Expert knowledge from fisheries scientists helped to quantify the scale of the overlap of fishing activity and the proposed DMAP. 

Alongside the economic and social objectives, the MSP process can also inform the achievement of ecological priorities such as protecting biodiversity and enhancing ecosystem resilience. The Marine Institute has contributed to the scientific and data analysis for the ecological sensitivity analyses carried out in the Irish Sea and Celtic Sea. These analyses may inform future processes to safeguard critical habitats, facilitate adaptation to climate change, improve coastal protection, designate Marine Protected Areas, restore natural ecosystems, and monitor restoration efforts. 

As the new MSP processes become increasingly operational, continued investment in high-quality data will be crucial to inform decision-making, minimise uncertainty, and optimise the sustainable use of our marine spaces. Existing knowledge of seabed characteristics, gathered primarily from INFOMAR (Ireland’s national seabed mapping programme) coupled with new surveys, will help to inform the location of future DMAPs. Substantial new monitoring and research programmes will need to be sustained to assess the environmental and socio-economic impacts of ORE development in Irish waters. The cumulative effects of multiple offshore wind farms and other activities are of particular relevance, and will require new approaches to assessment and monitoring. 

Whilst designation of areas for ORE development is an initial priority, Ireland’s new marine spatial planning processes also provide an opportunity for all maritime industries. For example, MSP processes could be used to designate areas of particular importance to fisheries, nursery habitats, spawning grounds, or for scientific investigation. With the necessary data and expertise to inform it, the new plan-led approach can support long-term balanced, sustainable development, and environmental protection. A current case study in the Celtic Sea provides a good example. 

The Marine Institute is currently partnering on the Horizon Europe MarinePlan.eu research project to improve the science needed to deliver ecosystem-based MSP (EB-MSP) in the Celtic Sea. The Celtic Sea already supports valuable commercial fisheries and shipping industries, and is now the location for Ireland’s first ORE DMAP. However, with less than 2% of the Celtic Sea under conservation protection (and less than 10% of Ireland’s marine areas under protection), Ireland remains well short of targets to protect 30% of marine areas by 2030. These differing imperatives require a balance between marine protection and the utilisation of marine space for industries such as fishing, tourism, shipping, and ORE.

The EB-MSP approach is all about finding this balance by planning for a combination of various activities, rather than reserving zones for single uses. This integrated approach aligns with the EU’s Marine Strategy Framework (MSFD) and Marine Spatial Planning Directives, as well as Ireland’s National Marine Planning Framework and the Maritime Area Planning Act of 2021. At the heart of its implementation, EB-MSP considers ecosystem health, cumulative impacts, governance processes, and input from various sectors and stakeholders to manage the use of marine space more effectively. EB-MSP aims to ensure that various marine uses, like fishing, ORE, conservation, aquaculture, shipping and tourism, can co-exist whilst avoiding, mitigating, and minimising conflicting interactions. 

Marine Spatial Planning is designed to minimise potential conflicts by providing science-driven, collaborative processes for the equitable use of marine space. Solid scientific data and evidence, cross-sector dialogue, and an inclusive MSP process will help Ireland to achieve national conservation, energy transition, and sustainability goals. EB-MSP offers a promising path forward, supporting marine ecosystem health and resilience while balancing Ireland’s conservation targets, the EU’s Green Deal goals, and a thriving marine economy.