5.11 Challenges

5.11 Challenges

The simultaneous roll-out of new policy objectives and targets across Climate, Biodiversity, Energy and Recovery & Resilience, some of which were in direct response to the war in Ukraine, creates a highly dynamic environment in which the Seafood sector needs to be considered. Offshore Renewable Energy, Marine Protected Areas and Nature Restoration proposals need to give significant consideration to the fact that fishermen as primary food producers are long standing in-situ users dependent upon specific marine areas which are particularly important for seafood production.

Seafood primary production is critical to supplying the downstream indigenous seafood processing and export industries and in sustaining the livelihoods of coastal communities, which are often rural. The importance of these primary and secondary seafood production activities is reflected in the agri-food sector’s Food Vision 2030 strategy, and needs to be firmly embedded in cross-cutting policies to avoid unwarranted economic and social impacts, including on jobs in coastal communities dependent on the seafood sector.

The areas which are particularly valuable for seafood production are not ubiquitous within Ireland’s marine area and this key criterion needs to be reflected in the identification of sites for energy or biodiversity purposes. Particularly with regard to renewable energy, ensuring spatial avoidance and/or co-existence rather than displacement would also assist a speedier and less fractious passage of project proposals through the consent process. In this way, Ireland can continue to support a sustainable seafood sector within dependent coastal communities and successfully achieve on climate and other targets into the future.