A Comprehensive Benefit Evaluation of Offshore Wind–Fishery Integration Projects from a Sustainable Development Perspective: Evidence from China

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Authors: Zixin Fang, Chonghua Zhu, Ting Zhou
Cited by: 1
References: 82

Abstract

The rapid expansion of offshore renewable energy and fisheries has intensified competition for limited marine space, posing challenges for sustainable marine resource management. Offshore wind–fishery integration, as a typical form of multi-use ocean space, has been promoted to enhance spatial efficiency and support coordinated economic, ecological, and social development. However, existing studies mainly focus on engineering feasibility or single-dimensional benefits, while comprehensive evaluations of integrated benefits remain scarce. This study aims to develop a sustainability-oriented framework to quantitatively evaluate the comprehensive economic, ecological, and social benefits of offshore wind–fishery integration projects. Based on the DPSIR framework, a multidimensional evaluation index system is constructed, and a multi-criteria decision-making model integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), entropy weighting, and TOPSIS is applied. Representative projects in Shandong, Guangdong, and Fujian provinces during 2022–2024 are analyzed. The results show that economic benefits currently dominate project performance, ecological benefits are becoming increasingly important, and social benefits exhibit a steady upward trend, with clear regional differences. By moving beyond single-benefit assessments, this study provides one of the first systematic evaluations of the comprehensive benefits of offshore wind–fishery integration projects, offering policy-relevant insights for sustainable marine spatial governance.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Coastal and Marine Management Sustainability and Climate Change Governance Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy

Publication details

Journal / source
Sustainability
Publisher
MDPI AG
Volume
18
Issue
5
Pages
2367–2367
Publication date
28 February 2026
Language
EN