Several important challenges which seem to be in competition with each other may be addressed at once. UK coastal towns which have historically relied on fishing have suffered greatly in recent decades, both due to decreasing fish stocks making fishing less profitable, and to the offshoring of the processing of fish.
At the same time over fishing has significantly reduced fish stocks, having a knock on impact on marine ecology. The loss of marine ecology, particularly fish spawning grounds such kelp forests, further reduces the fish stocks.
At the same time we are facing a potentially catastrophic climate change crisis, and despite our best efforts it seems unlikely we will fully decarbonize our economy in time to prevent the world going past the tipping point.
A further, smaller challenge is that due to the current low oil prices and the near depletion of North Sea oil reserves there is an unprecedented increase in the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas rigs. This is an immense financial burden on the asset owners, and the requirement to remove the foundation removes the artificial reefs that these foundations have become over many years in the sea.
My proposal is that government policy is put in place to fast track licensing and encourage the development of large scale offshore marine permaculture. Marine Permaculture is the growing of large scale seaweed forests, with a wide variety of benefits. In deep sea areas the kelp can be grown from seeded nets anchored to at a depth of 10m-15m, supported by the pumping of cold, nutrient rich water from deep sea areas.
Kelp/seaweed forests grow extremely quickly and can be harvested for use for human consumption and animal feed. When used as animal feed it will have a significantly lower carbon footprint than soy (the most used animal feed which the leading cause deforestation of the Amazon). The seaweed/kelp will need to be harvested using ships (similar to fishing vessels) and will need onshore processing to be suitable for its end use. Kelp forests create sheltered, nutrient rich spaces which are exceptional fish spawning and developing areas.
This combination of kelp for consumption and as a fish spawning ground has the potential to introduce a huge new industry to historic fishing communities, whilst also making fishing more profitable by increasing fish stocks.
The secondary benefit of growing kelp is that it draws down large quantities of carbon whilst growing, with each dry ton of kelp sequestering a ton of carbon. Although the carbon in the kelp used for consumption will remain in the system, excess kelp which falls from the kelp forest will drop to the sea bed, with the carbon being stored in deep sea areas (and therefore being removed from the carbon cycle for the mid to near future).
The extension of this, is that large scale offshore kelp farming would require power supply and pipelines to draw cold, nutrient rich water from deep sea areas, and would benefit for offshore bases for operations. This is where the use of offshore oil and gas platforms could become useful. If the existing top sides are decommissioned and replaced with lighter, smaller platforms, supporting accommodation and small renewable energy set-ups, the life time of the subsea structures can be extended (due to lower loading) and the required power supply for pumping can be created.
The use of kelp for feed, the growing of kelp from midwater platforms, the reuse of oil and gas structures and the use of marine protected areas (especially kelp forests) for rejuvenating fish stocks is all accepted science or in practice elsewhere in the world.
In terms of policy, it would require the joined up legislation to support licensing of the reuse of large areas of the north sea (and associated interface with other north sea users), the licensing for pumping cold nutrient rich water to the surface (which is a natural process being reduced by warming seas), the licensing to permit Oil and Gas companies to leave assets in the water even if no longer pumping fossil fuels (not currently legal) and the seed money to spearhead commercial trials to minimise the delay in the starting of a new industry.
Despite the challenges, if the funding and support is considered by for a range of benefits – including mitigating climate change and bio diversity, improving UK food security, rejuvenating fishing communities and reducing the financial burden UK north sea Oil and Gas companies – then this could be an excellent opportunity for the UK.
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