Wind Farms and Fisheries: Some Commercial Solutions

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1 Fisheries Innovation Scotland Second Annual Fishing Conference 22 nd & 23 rd August 2016 Wind Farms and Fisheries: Some Commercial Solutions Patrick Franklin HOMARUS LTD Fishery and Aquaculture Specialists Estate Yard House, High Street Beaulieu, Hants, SO42 7YB, United Kingdom Telephone: +44 (0) Mobile: +44 (0) Website:

2 Context Renewable generation Offshore wind now 5% UK total demand 10% by 2020

3 Issues to cover Disruption to fishing Problems Practical and conceptual Motivations for commercial agreements Options to engage with fishing industry Example assessments and agreements Example difficulties and non-agreement

4 UK Industry development 29 sites Operational Includes some small demonstration sites 9 sites in construction Includes Hywind demo project, Scotland Some not subject to final investment decision 16 sites consented 9 in Scotland inc demo sites (RSPB legal challenges) 12 sites planning or pre-planning

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6 State of play In spite of 29 operational sites, little cohesive picture on the impact on commercial fishing Some sites are small, or were only lightly fished previously Some appear to be fished, mostly potting, to a limited degree

7 Guidance Most guidance on fishing within wind farms is vague or even contradictory Not helpful for vessels with limited range and a wind farm is placed on their grounds Sharing seas is a wish not a reality

8 Problems: practical Mobile gear: Manoeuvrability - mobile gear lateral movement, snagging of foundations Mobile gear snagging: on cables, cabling debris, foundations Corridors not optimal for working tide / bottom / target stock Pots: anchors on cables, movement of strings and entanglement in foundations Pots & bottom set nets: String lengths>turbine intervals, orientation of gear ALL: SAFTEY Breakdowns and sea-room ALL: Weather, sea state, tide, visibility, darkness etc all complicating factors

9 Problems: conceptual Difficulties fishing within wind farms are site, vessel and gear specific Some developers try to play them down Fish elsewhere We re xxxco, we don t pay We have a right to be here Open access when wind farm complete, only 50m safety zones EIA s often at fleet level and impacts shown as Negligible, minor etc, These areas will never be the same as open sea and some vessels need will need help to overcome unavoidable reduction in earnings Some developers recognise this and are prepared to assist

10 Commercial solutions: developer motivations Safety keeping construction sites clear Smooth working relationships with local fishing industry Good PR / neighbourliness Obliged to make agreements as consenting condition Be careful of the C word...

11 Commercial solutions: Engagement options Regional level Possibly with other developers Some kind of Fund Fleet / Association / port level 1:1 vessel impact level.

12 Options for fishing on site Stage / Options Survey Construction Operation Total exclusion??? Partial access??? Open access??? Refinements Different approach by gear type Different approach turbine site and cable corridor Partial opening of areas during survey and construction

13 Assessment options Various indirect Proportional area Effort analysis VMS Direct Actual areas (plotters and observations) Actual earnings (accounts and MMO income data) UK FEN report on pro s and con s of each Actual method usually heavily depends on local situation, data availability, developer motivations

14 Direct assessments Good ground work can determine which vessels fish where in broad terms Local associations generally helpful (some not so...) 1:1 assessments lead to agreements that are as accurate and fair as possible - all parties can support Concentrate on most impacted vessels Build confidence, reduce uncertainty Need not be overly resource intensive

15 Some extremes: Gwynt y Mor, North Wales 160 turbines, 79km 2 1 commercial netter 1 potter 1 trawler 11 charter angling

16 Some extremes: Navitus Bay 153km 2, 100+ turbines 17 fixed gear, 5 commercial rod & line 7 trawlers 18 Charter anglers

17 Some examples Atlantic Array Potter Stage / Options Survey Construction Operation Total exclusion Partial access Open access Principles agreed: Survey: avoidance fixed gear, more efficient operations, avoid false readings, safety Construction: more efficient operations, safety Gear in footprint removed from fishery, variable cost saved, no knock-on Operation: Inefficiency factor of 20% of gross landings value Shorter strings, less optimal lays, less weather risks

18 Atlantic Array: trawler Stage / Options Survey Construction Operation Total exclusion Partial access Open access Principles agreed: Survey: Avoid operations, jack-ups etc, noise(?), safety Construction: more efficient operations, safety Effort not transferred outside, variable cost savings, no knock-on Operation: No trawling inside footprint, partial mitigation of impact through learning new grounds outside

19 Commercial agreements: Some common terms Vessels to be local and with significant dependence on site Vessels to have been active in the wind farm area before plans announced Vessel remains active and local throughout agreement period Annual payments in advance from start of construction with crew share passed on Break points to review major changes in stocks, regulations etc Change of vessel: should be of broadly same characteristics, fishing type, power, range etc Succession to family / crew member

20 Commercial agreements: Common problems Disagreement on conceptual table Note: same table can apply to cable corridor Dependence on site Noise issues Delays / staff changes / company changes

21 Noise: Some solutions for agreements

22 Noise: Some solutions for agreements

23 Conclusions Offshore wind expansion is a natural concern for fishing vessel operators Limited range and options are the most threatened Initial Zones can look massive Fishing post-construction remains uncertain: experience and developer attitudes mixed, responsible developers can assist where there are clear cases Range of solutions from community to 1:1 PINS (E&W) like to see commercial solutions in place (or in progress) at application No perfect solution to reaching predictive agreements but examples shown here are proven to work Be aware of potential problems at the start and be ready to work around them

24 Thanks