Seafood/Offshore Renewable Energy Working Group

The Seafood/ORE Working Group was established in 2022 by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, with support from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC).

The role of the Seafood/ORE Working Group is to facilitate discussion on matters arising from the interaction of the Irish seafood and offshore renewable energy industries, to promote and share best practice, and to encourage liaison with other sectors in the marine environment.

The working group is independently chaired by Captain Robert McCabe and the current membership comprises organisations representing the Seafood Sector, organisations representing the ORE sector, Government Departments, and state agencies. As of June 2024, the group is comprised of the following organisations:

Member Organisations of Seafood/ORE Working Group – June 2024

Email the Chair of the working group at:seafoodore@outlook.com

Email the Marine Planning Policy Section in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications: MSP@decc.gov.ie

Annual Report 2024

This is the 2024 Annual Report from the Working Group to its stakeholders.

The stakeholders of the Working Group are those who are involved in, or affected by, the interaction between the Seafood and ORE sectors. The report covers the period from May 2022 to May 2024. Further reports will be published annually.

The role of the Seafood/ORE Working Group is to facilitate discussion on matters arising from the interaction of the Irish seafood sector and offshore renewable energy industries - to promote and share best practice, and to encourage liaison with other sectors in the marine environment.

As of May 2024, the Working Group has held 19 plenary meetings and has established sub-groups to deal with issues such as activity, impacts, data hubs and commercial activity for fishing vessels, coexistence and dispute resolution.

The meetings of the Working Group generally comprise four elements: direct engagement between members, consideration of sub-group reports, presentations on topics of interest, and development of guidance documents.

These guides form part of a library of guidance issued by the Seafood/ORE Working Group to facilitate coexistence between the Seafood and ORE sectors in Ireland.

This Guide is intended to provide Offshore Renewable Energy projects, seafood stakeholders, and others involved in the interaction between the Seafood and ORE sectors, with guidance on how to engage and co-exist in a meaningful and constructive manner throughout the lifecycle of an ORE Project.

Seafood/ORE Engagement in Ireland - A Summary Guide

This Guide is intended to provide Offshore Renewable Energy projects, seafood stakeholders, and others involved in the interaction between the Seafood and ORE sectors, with guidance on how to engage and co-exist in a meaningful and constructive manner throughout the lifecycle of an ORE Project.

Seafood/ORE Working Group - Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM)

This Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM) is a tool to be used, where and when appropriate, to assist with resolving matters of disagreement related to specific interactions between the Seafood and ORE sectors (including relevant Government Departments and state/semi-state agencies).

Use of Fishing Vessels for Commercial Work on ORE Projects - A Guide to Registration

The purpose of this guide is to support fishing vessel owners who may wish to use their vessels for short term commercial operations for ORE projects. This change of use requires registration as a commercial vessel and a subsequent return to the Fishing Vessel Register.

Seafood/ORE Working Group

Co-existence guide: The purpose of this guide is to consider coexistence, including consideration of coexistence/colocation, impacts, avoidance/minimisation/mitigation, disruption, displacement, evidence standards and compensation mechanisms.

Guidance currently in development.

News items will be added here.