Aquaculture and coastal space management in Europe: An ecological perspective

Coastal aquaculture is widespread in Europe and there is a need for proper coastal space management among the different users of the coastal zone. Integration of aquaculture into coastal space entails both siting installations in physical space in relation to the existing network of coastal users, such as shipping, fishing, recreational activities and other industry, and ensuring that the extent of aquaculture does not lead to widespread changes to coastal ecosystems. Where the competition for space is particularly intense, political decisions, which simultaneously seek to minimize both environmental impacts and user conflict, may be the only mechanism to allocate space to new aquaculture installations. From an ecological perspective, better integration of aquaculture into European coastal space so that ecological carrying capacities are not exceeded requires knowledge-based management of the interaction of ecological impacts of aquaculture with those of other coastal users, particularly concerning nutrient loading, and modification to biodiversity and species that are important to fisheries. Geographical information systems (GIS) are proven tools for natural resource management and space planning and are suggested to be used for planning aquaculture's integration into European coastal areas.