USA: Fisheries and Renewable Energy in Ocean Planning

In Rhode Island and around the country, coastal communities are working to generate new industries, support job creation, and provide food and services to an ever-increasing population, through planning to manage and sustain the ocean’s resources. The nation’s fisheries and offshore renewable energy resources represent part of the answer.

Two new short films—one focusing on renewable energy, the other on fisheries—are the latest in a four-part series that explores ocean planning with practitioners from around the world. The renewable energy film, “Advancing the Ocean Economy: Renewable Energy,” introduces offshore renewable energy issues as they relate to ocean planning, and shows how coastal communities in the U.S. and overseas are turning to these resources, such as wind power, to support jobs and industries. The fisheries film, “Ocean Planning: Enhancing and Protecting out Fisheries,” offers thinking from practitioners about how ocean planning—with its emphasis on integrating planning approaches across multiple resources and user groups—could help solve complicated economic, social and environmental issues challenging the industry.

The recently released first film, “America’s Ocean Economy: Challenges and Opportunities,” provides an overview of ocean planning as a tool for ocean managers, practitioners and a wide range of public and private partners to collaborate on ways to share and protect ocean resources, such as fishing stocks, shipping lanes and recreational areas.

The film series is supported by several funders and partners, including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Ocean Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, and Marine Affairs Research and Education (MARE), the team behind OpenChannels.org. Media firm Zygote Digital Films, Inc. developed the series.

[mappress]

Press release, November 29, 2012; Image: uri