Fisheries Engagement

NISA works closely with the fishing community to ensure sustainable coexistence between offshore wind development and local fisheries, prioritising meaningful dialogue and collaborative solutions.

The fishing community has been a key stakeholder in the development of the NISA project from the outset. Engagement with the fishing community commenced in 2019, when only a concept layout was available.

We have been in ongoing contact with the fishing industry in relation to potential concerns and issues. This feedback has influenced how the project design evolved.

Each of the layout concepts considered during the design process has taken into account issues such as turbine layout orientation, turbine spacing and array locations as they relate to existing fishing practices. We endeavoured to adapt our design and processes to allow NISA and the fishing community to successfully share the area of the sea being considered. Protecting the current positions of those making a living from the proposed wind farm area is a core priority for us.

This proactive engagement is continuing and will remain for the lifetime of the project.project evolution fisheries

Your Fisheries Liaison Officer

Mark O'Reilly

Fisheries Liaison Officer

E-mail:
flo@northirishseaarray.ie
  • 1000 +
    Number of meaningful engagements with fisheries

Coexistence with the Fishing Industry

The offshore industry can deliver a more sustainable future for the fishing community. NISA is endeavouring to develop a collaborative approach to capturing benefits of sharing a marine space to deliver both sustainable energy generation and food production for mutual benefit. Offshore renewable energy can and should support those earning a living from the mutually shared waters. The existing fishing practices in this area have been considered during reviews of our design layouts endeavouring to allow for continued fishing. As more information becomes available from our surveys and our design matures, we will be able to get a better understanding of how the project might interact with local fishing practices carried out in this specific area.

NISA is committed to working towards supporting the sustainability of the local fishing communities and working with individual fishers and representative orgainsations to establish how this can best be achieved.