EuroPacific Tuna

Aquaculture with Deepwater Wind Farms

EuroPacific Tuna Ltd was established in 1998 as a Cayman Islands company to develop international tuna farming projects that increase tuna industry efficiency and reduce tuna species exploitation.  Commercial value for bluefin tuna caught in the wild can vary greatly.  Tuna farming is the only known way to control the time, quantity, and quality of the fresh tuna supply. 

With the advent of deepwater offshore wind energy technology, EuroPacific Tuna will co-locate aquaculture with deepwater floating offshore wind farms. Benefits to co-locate aquaculture and deepwater wind farms include lowering GHG emissions and increasing carbon uptake, reducing pressures on coastal economies, creating artificial reef effects, reducing ocean-use footprint, sharing infrastructure, facilitating operational synergies, increasing food security, enabling economic diversification, lessening conflicts among ocean users, and aligning with government blue-economy strategies.

By co-locating with deepwater wind farms, aquaculture operations (fish cages, seaweed lines, mussel rafts) can piggyback on existing moorings, shared power and data, joint maintenance trips, and common offshore bases.  This can reduce capital expenditure for aquaculture developers, operating costs for both sectors, and duplication of maritime infrastructure.    

Aquaculture & Wind Farms

Opportunity

Co‑location of aquaculture and wind farms creates new jobs in offshore aquaculture, stabilizes revenue streams for wind operators, attracts investment in coastal ports and processing facilities, and supports year‑round maritime employment.  Deepwater floating wind platforms are engineered for high wave loads, strong currents, and extreme storms.  These engineering standards benefit aquaculture since fish cages can be attached to robust mooring grids, seaweed lines can be tensioned using wind platform anchors, and shared dynamic mooring systems can reduce failure risk.   

Offshore deepwater zones are increasingly contested.  The co‑location of aquaculture systems with floating wind farms can reduce spatial conflicts, help governments meet “multi‑use” mandates, improve social license for wind farms, and enable larger marine planning zones without expanding footprint.  Joint operations can reduce costs and improve safety in shared crew transfer vessels, shared SOVs and DP vessels, combined inspection and maintenance schedules, shared ambient weather network weather windows, and unified emergency response plans.  

Aquaculture & Wind Farms

Market

Industry analysts increasingly view offshore wind energy as the technology that will enable large‑scale mariculture in deep water.  Wind farms are expected to support salmon, mussel, and seaweed operations as part of a broader blue‑economy transition. This trend is accelerating as governments push for better use of ocean space and multi‑use mandates. 

The deepwater aquaculture cage market was valued at $14.45 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $32.08 billion by 2033, growing at a 10.48% CAGR. That expansion is driven by industrial‑scale aquaculture, automation, and technology‑enabled offshore operations.  In 2023, the global project pipeline for floating offshore wind energy surged to 244 GW.  Technological innovation (i.e., AI, automation, & real‑time monitoring) is enabling aquaculture to move farther offshore. These technologies are already embedded in offshore wind energy O&M systems, creating natural synergies.  While technological challenges in combining offshore wind energy and aquaculture remain non‑trivial, the momentum is clear.  Pilot projects for salmon, mussels, and seaweed are advancing.