Services / Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
The last decade has seen an important increase in focus on the environmental and socio-economic impacts associated with the creation or expansion of small and large-scale developments. With regards to marine fisheries, new developments can affect commercial fisheries and fishing communities as well as the marine environment.
Desk-based Study
MEP has been involved in the completion of numerous EIAs from the organisation of marine survey programmes to desk-based analyses.
An EIA is an assessment of any positive or negative impacts that a proposed project may have on the environment, including its ecological, social and economic aspects. In many nations they are now a legal requirement with developments of a certain type or size.
MEP is able to provide EIAs for a variety of scenarios and with its specialised fisheries and aquaculture expertise MEP are able to ensure that any EIA process is completed in a thorough and efficient manner.
Example case studies:-
- Coray Cay, Belize
Marine Monitoring
MEP is equipped to provide rigid biological and social-economic monitoring for the completion of EIA's including survey design, ecological and habitat surveys, socio-economic surveys and data collection programs.
Example case studies:-
- UK Wavehub
- Yemen LNG - Fish nursery baseline study
Fisheries Assessments
MEP is experienced in the profiling and assessment of fishing communities and the fishing industry in the context of new or expanding developments. To minimise the impacts of those developments on the fishing industry, MEP has been involved in the provision of liaison services and offsetting schemes to a number of developments.
Example case studies:-
- London Gateway Port
- UK Wavehub
- YLNG FAD project
- Nexen FAD project
Wind farms and Renewable Energy
Offshore renewable energy creation is one of the fastest growing offshore sectors especially in the UK where substantial areas of seabed have been requisitioned for the placement of wind turbines.
MEP has worked with the offshore renewables sector both in the planning stage and the construction stage of installations and are part of a government framework advising on the potential development of the wave energy sector.
MEP is able to provide advice on the interactions these developments will have on the fishing industry and help to mitigate problems early.
MEP also provides fisheries liaison services to this sector throughout the development and construction of the installations. (link to liaison section in the Sustainable Fisheries Management services tab).
Example case studies:-
- UK Wavehub
- London Array