Identifying potential spatial use conflicts between the commercial fishing industry and offshore wind development in the Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy planning area

Abstract

Offshore wind (OSW) is beginning to emerge as a major player within the Nova Scotia renewables sector as the province moves to fulfil its commitment of net-zero emissions by 2050. The addition of OSW as a new use in the ocean introduces a risk of spatial conflict with the various pre-existing uses including commercial fishing, shipping, and aquaculture. Ocean planning tools such as Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) seek to consider the needs and requirements of the various users so that potential spatial conflicts can be identified and proactively avoided. Using a two-staged approach this study sought to effectively integrate tools within the greater MSP process to address the potential spatial conflict between future fixed-base OSW development in Nova Scotia’s offshore and the commercial fishing industry. The first stage of this project used a case study analysis to glean insights related to the OSW planning and siting process of other national jurisdictions. The second stage of this study was a spatial analysis that used the software Marxan to identify areas with high or low potential for spatial conflict between future OSW development and the commercial fishing industry. This study provides a framework for how the decision support tool Marxan can be used to highlight potential spatial overlap and conflict between future fixed-base OSW development and existing ocean uses in the Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy planning area. The results of this study were used to develop a series of recommendations that can inform future research examining potential conflicts between offshore wind and other ocean uses.

Keywords: offshore wind energy; marine spatial planning (MSP); commercial fishing industry; Marxan; spatial conflict; Nova Scotia; Canada