Abstract
The space in the North Sea is scarce and many actors are interested in using it for different activities. Also, in the German Exclusive Economic Zone, human activities increase, especially the development of offshore wind energy (OWE). Reasons such as the desired energy transition and climate change support the designation of marine space to offshore wind farms (OWFs). However, this rapid development has negative impacts on other actors in the North Sea such as commercial fishery. As of today, fishing activities within and around an OWF are not allowed. Large areas in the German North Sea are not accessible for fishermen anymore, which leads to a conflict between the sectors of OWE and fishery. This study aims to identify how this conflict can be minimized, and how the space of the North Sea can be distributed fairly. For this purpose, the theories of Marine Spatial Planning, institutions and the approach of boundary spanning were examined and researched how these can help to achieve this goal. Through a literature review, a stakeholder analysis and semi-structured interviews with actors involved in the conflict, information and perceptions were collected and analyzed. The findings reveal that the perception of the two sectors of OWE and fishery have quite different perceptions on how the space in the North Sea should be used. While the representatives of OWE claim more space for the construction of OWFs, to be able to reach the climate target of 40 GW energy production by 2040, fishermen are concerned that they cannot sustain their livelihood in the future. This case study also shows that communication between the two sectors is missing and that current institutions hinder the process to find suitable solutions. Therefore, to minimize this conflict, discussions and collaborations are needed to find solutions which are suitable for both sectors. Boundary spanning could hereby present a promising approach to support this process of communication, to find a common ground and to develop ideas such as the co-use of areas. However, without support from the government, the fishing industry will have major problems in the future, as more OWFs will be build and more space will be taken.