NERC Marine Renewable Energy Knowledge Exchange Programme Fisheries and Renewable Energy Working G roup

1. NERC Marine Renewable Energy Knowledge Exchange Programme Fisheries and Renewable Energy Working Group • About us • This project establishes a working group to provide the basis for quantification of ecological, social and economic impacts of fisheries displacement and mitigation strategies at marine renewable energy sites. • This fisheries displacement and mitigation working group is funded under NERC's Marine Renewable Energy Knowledge Exchange (MREKE) programme. This programme aims to ensure an environmentally sustainable future for the marine renewable energy sector by building stronger partnerships between the academic, public, private and third sectors. Integration of the information needs of policy, business and research in these partnerships enable a better understanding of the risks and benefits of deploying renewable energy arrays in the marine environment. • Aim and objectives • The fisheries displacement and mitigation working group, through discussion and closer liaison, aims to promote better understanding of problems on the ground and lead to more collaborative research with industry. The key objectives of the group are: • To facilitate engagement between scientists, energy companies and fishing organisations and promote sharing of knowledge focussing on issues of common concern. • To develop best practice for quantifying ecological, social and economic impacts of displacement and design of mitigation measures for the whole life cycle of energy projects. • To reduce lead times for integration of novel science into best practice and ensure future research is appropriately scoped and focussed on resolving challenges faced by marine space users. • Activities • Within the working group, the following activities will be carried out: • A scoping survey intended to make an inventory of research activity and identify key issues and research topics in the fields of marine renewable energy and fisheries interactions. • Workshops to facilitate knowledge exchange between the areas of marine renewable energy development and fisheries, to identify priority research issues, knowledge gaps and collaboration needs. • For further information please visit: www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/marcopol and follow the MREKE link