Abstract
California is striving to expand its ‘blue economy’ to meet growing demand for marine resources, including seafood and renewable energy. As a result, there has been a growing competition for ocean space. Co-location, multiple sectors (e.g., aquaculture and renewable energy) operating in the same ocean space at the same time, is one potential approach that can reduce competition amongst stakeholders. However, there has been limited quantitative investigation into the potential of co-located systems along the California coast. Using a combination of observation and model outputs across four ocean sectors (aquaculture, wave energy, wind energy and wild capture fisheries), we quantify the co-location suitability of at least two of the sectors along the California coast (0.0404° resolution) by calculating a Co-location Suitability (CLS) score (0 – no suitability to 1 – perfect suitability). We find a clear trend of higher CLS scores in the waters offshore of Northern California, but the steep bathymetry limits the potential for aquaculture and wave production based on current technological and/or cost constraints. Notably, we find climate extreme thermal events, (i.e., marine heatwaves) will likely exacerbate regional differences in suitability with typically cooler Northern regions performing better. This research provides an initial framework for evaluating co-location potential and its ability to increase the efficiency of marine space-use in crowded seascapes in California waters and beyond.