Abstract
Marine energy has large potential to provide clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While marine energy is usually thought of as bringing power to the grid, it can also be used to power activities at sea, particularly offshore. One of the offshore industries that can be powered by marine energy is offshore aquaculture. Offshore aquaculture is a growing sector worldwide. While growth has been slow in the US, there is much interest in expanding offshore seafood production [1], [2], [3]. Offshore aquaculture requires energy for several operations such as feeding systems, lighting, refrigeration, or monitoring. Recent studies have assessed the feasibility of co-locating marine energy and offshore aquaculture in the US [4] but are lacking real-world applications. Co-location is defined as marine uses developed within the same space and time scales, and specifically focuses on integrating and powering aquaculture with wave energy, and offshore is defined as areas with depths of 25 m or more. In the Caribbean Sea, the economies of Puerto Rico rely in part on ocean-related activities such as tourism, marine transportation, and fisheries. Small-scale fisheries have particularly been impacted by extreme climate events such as Hurricane María in September 2017 [5] and the Covid19 crisis [6]. Hurricane María also caused commercial landings to fall by 20% because of the loss of production, extended power outages, and loss of customers. With a strong wave energy resource, the use of marine energy for Puerto Rico represents an opportunity to increase renewable energy usage, which will aid in achieving clean energy goals and decreasing the dependence on fossil fuels. Aquaculture currently exists on land and nearshore in Puerto Rico. Previously offshore aquaculture was shown to be viable in Puerto Rico, though has ceased due to permitting and financing constraints. In Puerto Rico, the development of co-located offshore aquaculture and marine energy could help boost the ocean economy and bring a supplementary source of revenue to local fishers. This study aims to assess the feasibility for co-locating offshore integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) and wave energy off the coast of Puerto Rico. IMTA allows the co-farming of fed species (e.g., fish), extractive species (e.g., shellfish), and macroalgae, increasing the sustainability of aquaculture by creating an integrated system. The feasibility for co-location was determined through outreach to Puerto Rico stakeholders to understand local perspectives, a regional assessment to identify the key parameters to consider for co-location, and field work to collect environmental data. The combination of these methods highlights the potential for co-locating offshore IMTA and wave energy off the coast of Puerto Rico as well as important factors to consider if a future development of these activities is to occur in the region.