Abstract
The global expansion of offshore wind energy is a cornerstone of climate mitigation strategies, yet it introduces spatial conflicts with traditional marine sectors, particularly commercial fisheries. These conflicts arise from overlapping operational zones, gear entanglement risks, and navigational risks; all due to an underlying barrier of insufficient communication between stakeholders. This paper examines the Waterfront Application (or “Waterfront”), a digital stakeholder engagement platform designed to enable coexistence and multi-use of ocean space by providing real-time, location-based information exchange between offshore wind developers and fisheries. Drawing on empirical insights from stakeholder interviews, technical development milestones, and deployment data, the paper details Waterfront’s architecture, functionalities, and risk mitigation strategies. The platform’s features – including dynamic notifications, vessel speed compliance, gear pinning, ghost gear tagging, ecological observation logging, and secure messaging – address critical challenges in marine spatial planning. Results from field implementation demonstrate improved situational awareness, reduced operational conflicts, and enhanced trust among marine stakeholders. Waterfront exemplifies how digital innovation can support sustainable ocean governance and facilitate colocation of offshore wind and fisheries within integrated marine spatial planning frameworks.