TY - JOUR

T1 - Planning and licensing for marine aquaculture

AU - Falconer, Lynne

AU - Cutajar, Karl

AU - Krupandan, Amalia

AU - Capuzzo, Elisa

AU - Corner, Richard A.

AU - Ellis, Tim

AU - Jeffery, Keith

AU - Mikkelsen, Eirik

AU - Moore, Heather

AU - O'Beirn, Francis X.

AU - O'Donohoe, Pauline

AU - Ruane, Neil M.

AU - Shilland, Robyn

AU - Tett, Paul

AU - Telfer, Trevor C.

PY - 2023/9

Y1 - 2023/9

N2 - Marine aquaculture has the potential to increase its contribution to the global food system and provide valuable ecosystem services, but appropriate planning, licensing and regulation systems must be in place to enable sustainable development. At present, approaches vary considerably throughout the world, and several national and regional investigations have highlighted the need for reforms if marine aquaculture is to fulfil its potential. This article aims to map and evaluate the challenges of planning and licensing for growth of sustainable marine aquaculture. Despite the range of species, production systems and circumstances, this study found a number of common themes in the literature; complicated and fragmented approaches to planning and licensing, property rights and the licence to operate, competition for space and marine spatial planning, emerging species and diversifying marine aquaculture production (seaweed production, Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture [IMTA], nutrient and carbon offsetting with aquaculture, offshore aquaculture and co-location and multiuse platforms), and the need to address knowledge gaps and use of decision-support tools. Planning and licensing can be highly complicated, so the UK is used as a case study to show more detailed examples that highlight the range of challenges and uncertainty that industry, regulators and policymakers face across interacting jurisdictions. There are many complexities, but this study shows that many countries have undergone, or are undergoing, similar challenges, suggesting that lessons can be learned by sharing knowledge and experiences, even across different species and production systems, rather than having a more insular focus. [Abstract copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Reviews in Aquaculture published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.]

AB - Marine aquaculture has the potential to increase its contribution to the global food system and provide valuable ecosystem services, but appropriate planning, licensing and regulation systems must be in place to enable sustainable development. At present, approaches vary considerably throughout the world, and several national and regional investigations have highlighted the need for reforms if marine aquaculture is to fulfil its potential. This article aims to map and evaluate the challenges of planning and licensing for growth of sustainable marine aquaculture. Despite the range of species, production systems and circumstances, this study found a number of common themes in the literature; complicated and fragmented approaches to planning and licensing, property rights and the licence to operate, competition for space and marine spatial planning, emerging species and diversifying marine aquaculture production (seaweed production, Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture [IMTA], nutrient and carbon offsetting with aquaculture, offshore aquaculture and co-location and multiuse platforms), and the need to address knowledge gaps and use of decision-support tools. Planning and licensing can be highly complicated, so the UK is used as a case study to show more detailed examples that highlight the range of challenges and uncertainty that industry, regulators and policymakers face across interacting jurisdictions. There are many complexities, but this study shows that many countries have undergone, or are undergoing, similar challenges, suggesting that lessons can be learned by sharing knowledge and experiences, even across different species and production systems, rather than having a more insular focus. [Abstract copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Reviews in Aquaculture published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.]

KW - aquaculture planning

KW - environmental management

KW - licensing

KW - regulation

KW - sustainable development

U2 - 10.1111/raq.12783

DO - 10.1111/raq.12783

M3 - Article

VL - 15

SP - 1374

EP - 1404

JO - Reviews in Aquaculture

JF - Reviews in Aquaculture

SN - 1753-5123

IS - 4

ER -