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Aquaculture provides more than half of the fish used for human consumption, contributing to food security and nutrition, economic growth and improved livelihoods. Aquaculture production in countries bordering the Mediterranean and Black Sea has grown steadily, though not homogenously, mainly based on marine species. To boost development, there is a need to support governance to establish activities within a coordinated spatial planning process. Knowledge of aquaculture spatial planning processes are assessed through consultations with stakeholders from 21 countries using a structured questionnaire, internal review and a workshop to determine major barriers to the implementation in the region. Results suggest different levels of knowledge of regulatory systems in the countries surveyed. Aquaculture zoning is widespread. Site selection is a long and inefficient process, a barrier to investment, exacerbated by an apparent lack of a clear distribution of power and responsibilities. Area management is the least implemented part of the spatial planning process, with few examples of an integrated approach. Poor social acceptance of aquaculture, low technical knowledge and understanding of spatial planning concepts, and a lack of meaningful communication are among the problems highlighted by stakeholders. Although recent advances are evident, the integration of aquaculture with other users of marine space remains a work in progress that requires a specific regulatory framework, capacity building, transparency, good communication and participatory processes. Application of spatial planning following an ecosystem approach to aquaculture can contribute to improvements that have the potential to counter the negative externalities of unplanned or uncoordinated development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over a decade ago, the ecosystem approach to aquaculture (EAA) emerged from discussions between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and international aquaculture experts on how to move aquaculture development towards greater sustainability. The purpose of this review is to critically examine the use and mainstreaming of the EAA in aquaculture development to date and consider its possible evolution in the next decade. We systematically searched citations of key EAA publications in the academic and related literature for the period 2007–2016 and analysed all relevant FAO publications and project documents. We assessed the lessons learnt from the past decade of EAA experiences, the opportunities the EAA has created and the links between the EAA and the new development agenda. Our review suggests that mainstreaming the EAA in planning processes has raised awareness of the usefulness of holistic and participatory approaches in aquaculture and helped to steer the sector towards greater sustainability. However, the approach has had varying degrees of resonance and uptake with different user groups. The emphasis on spatial planning that has developed as part of the EAA implementation efforts, and close links between the EAA and initiatives such as 'blue growth', constitute significant opportunities for the future of the approach, although its ability to tackle increasingly complex governance issues may be limited. Thus, it is now opportune to reconsider the EAA's raison d'être, taking into account ongoing developments within and outside the aquaculture sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The worlds' oceans and seas have tremendous potential to contribute to the provision of food, feed, energy and natural resources. The emerging concepts of "Blue Growth" and "Blue Economy" have put the development of new marine industries on the political agenda. As marine industries expand, spatial interconnections and industry boundaries are being drawn and the potential for the combined use of marine space is being explored. The aim of this paper is to provide a single source document that summarizes the probable boundaries of marine growth industries, namely aquaculture; offshore wind energy with fixed foundations; floating offshore wind energy; tidal and wave energy; marine biotechnology, seabed mining; and tourism and recreation, based on depth and distance from the shore. This is an important first step in developing a single source document for marine industry boundaries that will help marine spatial planners and researchers develop innovative industry combinations to foster growth in the marine sector. This paper explores marine industry overlaps in four basins: European Atlantic, Baltic/North Sea, Mediterranean/Black Sea and the Caribbean/ Gulf of Mexico. By describing the geographical characteristics of different sea basins, this paper helps to focus marine governance strategies for stimulating combinations of marine industries towards the most promising areas. The methodology developed in this paper was also used to generate 72 country-specific maps and corresponding tables to support marine spatial planning processes at a national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides a clear and comprehensive account for the application of marine spatial planning (MSP) within the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) region, focused predominantly on its application for fisheries and aquaculture. MSP provides a step-by-step approach to balance the uses and users of the marine environment with a view to providing a coordinated system that results in the development of a marine spatial plan, which defines the strategic, forward-looking planning for the regulation, zoning, management, protection and sustainability of the marine environment. It applies the ecosystem approach and the allocation of space, addressing the multiple, cumulative and potentially conflicting uses of the sea. In order for fisheries and aquaculture prospects to be improved in the Gulf, a number of regional technical workshops were held under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with RECOFI countries. As an outcome of these workshops, it was clear that spatial planning would be an ideal approach to aid development, but that for the long-term success and sustainability of all Gulf activities and the application of the ecosystem approach, a specific RECOFI MSP framework should be developed. The adoption of MSP is directed more specifically towards the Gulf waters, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea of the RECOFI countries. Identification of the range of users and activities pursued here necessitates an urgent need for cooperation among these groups in order to best coordinate their respective long-term futures. Implementation of MSP is not a trivial undertaking. MSP can best function if an ordered set of procedures (or steps) are followed, and this paper carefully documents these procedures, giving illustrations and best practices where necessary, from other contexts where MSP has been successful. The MSP framework used here is based upon work carried out by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Although the steps recommend specific procedures, the MSP framework is highly flexible and can be adapted to suit specific requirements, the scale of the marine area being evaluated and the objectives to be achieved. The need for contributors at the regional, national and local levels to work cooperatively during MSP development and for such development to be undertaken with stakeholder engagement and participation is emphasized throughout. The document concludes by providing a case study on Saudi Arabia, identifying the potential steps and considerations in adopting a marine spatial planning approach. To allow further reading, valuable information sources on marine spatial planning from around the world are included as an annex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on topics including the marine spatial planning (MSP) development programme for fisheries and aquaculture activities, the regional strategy for spatial planning, and the proposed content of the spatial planning development programme.

The article focuses on the effort by the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) to promote sustainable development in fisheries and aquaculture, with topics including the fisheries and aquaculture management, the use of marine spatial planning (MSP) in fisheries, and the fisheries regulation.