Enabling passive fishing in north sea offshore wind farms

This report examines why a gap persists between the technical authorization and commercial deployment of passive fishing inside North Sea offshore wind farms, and what would be required to close it, with the Dutch context as the primary focus. The study investigates the governance of passive fishing activities within offshore wind farms across the North Sea region, examining regulatory frameworks, permitting procedures, and governance arrangements in five countries: the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Belgium.

The analysis focuses on passive gear, including pots, gillnets and handlines, as the form of fishing most consistently identified as compatible with offshore wind farm infrastructure. Drawing on documentary analysis and twenty-five semi-structured interviews with regulators, fishing industry representatives, developers and researchers, the report compares regulatory conditions, insurance and liability arrangements, coordination mechanisms, and economic factors that influence the viability of co-use.

The comparative analysis shows that the gap between authorization and commercial deployment is not a technical problem with a technical fix. While the technical feasibility of passive fishing inside offshore wind farms has been empirically established, commercial deployment remains limited across most North Sea countries. France is the only country in this study where commercial passive fishing inside an operational wind farm is documented, while the Netherlands represents the clearest instance of the authorization-to-deployment gap.

The report concludes with recommendations aimed at moving regulatory conditions, insurance, coordination and economics closer to the outcome they were designed to enable. The findings provide lessons for future policy development and offer practical insights into the conditions under which passive fishing co-use becomes viable inside North Sea offshore wind farms.