How to build a MariPark for aquaculture?

In February 2022 and within the scope of the eMSP project, the MariPark concept was put forward to address several important challenges facing offshore aquaculture. In June, a second meeting was held where this concept was developed further. Below, you can find a brief report of this second meeting.

Finland

Olli Rönka (Regional Council of Lapland) explained that the Finnish government strives for blue growth while conserving ecological space. As far as aquaculture is concerned, the focus in Finland is on fish farming. It is expected that MariParks could further increase the potential for aquaculture.

Kalavaltio ("fish nation") has been identified as a suitable area for aquaculture in marine zones owned by the government. The government provides companies with data for environmental permits and applies for such permits on behalf of the companies.

Government's role

“The development of basic infrastructure by the government is not new,” according to Rogier van Steennis (Ernst & Young). In case of MariParks, public-private partnerships could be a solution, since the required investments are substantial and probably not feasible for most entrepreneurs.

In addition, public funding could accelerate economic growth in the near future. Consequently, every initiative has the same impact, and this is not limited to the first movers.

Offshore business parks

The MariPark concept is also in line with the European and national strategies to promote a sustainable blue economy and contribute to the realisation of the European Green Deal.

According to Bert Groenendaal (Groenendaal Consultancy), MariParks can promote the sustainable blue economy by making offshore zones available for maritime activities by analogy with onshore business parks. Specifically for SMEs, additional support is required for the production, testing and R&D of offshore aquaculture.

The responsibilities for the installation or management of MariParks should be divided between public and private entities. Public entities can guarantee the quality and compliance with the standards of the park’s infrastructure, while private entities can proceed more quickly at a lower price.

Background information

The Community of Practice (CoP) 'Sustainable Blue Economy' is organised as part of the eMSP NSBR project and focuses on the learning strand of ‘sustainable blue economy’. 

Several experts from the North Sea and Baltic regions are invited to establish a strong community centred around the development of a sustainable blue economy, with marine spatial planning as a potential driving force for economic growth.

Interested in more? The Community of Practice meeting of 30 November 2022 is centred around the topic of offshore energy and potential combinations of wind energy and other forms of offshore energy in MariParks.