Feb 4 agenda cmsp session

MARINE INSTITUTE SCHOOL OF FISHERIES INFORMATION SESSION AND PANEL DISCUSSION

COASTAL AND MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING – INCLUDING APPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT 8:30AM – 12 PM - Tuesday February 4th, 2014 Student Lounge - Marine Institute, Ridge Road Campus

8:30 – Welcome and Introduction – Geoff Coughlan, Marine Institute - School of Fisheries 8:50 - Collaboration for Sustainability: All Hands on Deck - Leslie-Ann McGee, World Ocean Council (USA) Where do we want to be in 10, 20 or 50 years? What do we want our oceans to look like in that future?

How do we decide? How will we know we have gotten there? The people, vision, planning and outcomes are all necessary components of a successful planning process. This is made even more complex in areas held in trust or owned in common such as the case in coastal and ocean areas globally.

One tool to help us address these questions is marine spatial planning (MSP). MSP is a practical way to create and establish a more rational organization of the use of marine space and the interactions between its uses, to balance demands for development with the need to protect marine ecosystems, and to achieve social and economic objectives in an open and planned way. From the perspective of ocean industries, supply and access to the ocean is at risk from other users (including conservation), changes to ocean governance, changing ocean conditions, and a lack of engagement beyond individual sectors. This presentation will explore these issues and help frame the steps necessary to working together towards a common future in our coasts and oceans.

9:20 – Site Selection, Zoning and Spatial Planning Tools for Aquaculture - Dr. Lynne Falconer, University of Stirling – Institute of Aquaculture (Scotland) Site selection is one of the most important decisions for aquaculture as the location of a site or zone can influence the implementation, success and long-term sustainability of an operation. This presentation will discuss the importance of spatial planning for aquaculture, will consider some of the spatial challenges facing the sector and highlight how the industry can benefit from GIS and decision support. The use of spatial analysis within the context of the ecosystem approach to aquaculture (EAA) will also be examined and a number of case studies will be shown to demonstrate the range of capabilities and usefulness of spatial planning for the aquaculture sector.

9:50 - Can Maritime Spatial Planning provide the mechanism to realize the economic potential of aquaculture (and other industrial sectors) from our oceans – experiences from CO-EXIST and other European projects – Jeremy Gault, University College Cork – Coastal and Marine Research Centre (Ireland) Recent findings from the COEXIST (EU – 7th Framework) project, unsurprisingly, revealed that the aquaculture sector was concerned about the potential level of conflict with existing industries such as fisheries and tourism and development of new industries - specifically marine renewable energy. This is indicative of the current level of spatial pressure on our coastal and marine environment and the potential for conflict - both of which will only be exacerbated by economic policies to derive higher return from the marine domain and the societal need to meet increasing food and energy demands.

Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) is being championed as the approach that will reduce conflict and unlock the full economic potential of key sectors including aquaculture. However, historical attempts at integrated management for marine sectors have had limited success and MSP is largely untested being in the initial stages of implementation and this presentation will consider whether it can succeed where other management initiatives have failed.

10:20 – Considerations for Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning in Newfoundland and Labrador – Geoff Coughlan, Marine Institute School of Fisheries The presentation will address NL coastal and ocean policy/planning and priorities where CMSP can be utilized to address them. For example, priorities such as ensuring sustainable coastal development, mitigating competing needs and interests and examining coastal climate change adaptation requirements will all benefit from CMSP. It is also particularly relevant to provincial Strategic Aquaculture Plan renewal. The presentation will also discuss Marine Institute efforts to increase CMSP capacity in the province.

10:40 – Nutrition Break 10:50 – Panel Discussion 11:20 – Questions from the Floor 11:50 – Closing Remarks