Economic feasibility assessment of cage aquaculture in offshore wind power generation areas in Changhua County, Taiwan

Abstract

This paper assesses the economic feasibility of cage aquaculture in the offshore wind farm area of Changhua, Taiwan. According to the cost-benefit analysis, the results of cage aquaculture simulation for three species are economically feasible and the most suitable investment project is suggested to deploy 16 cages at the beginning. However, according to sensitivity analysis, at the current survival rates and purchasing prices, there is still a gap from the breakeven point in various scenarios. Hence, this paper argues that, if Taiwan's offshore wind power generation can be integrated with cage aquaculture, the conflict over sea area usage can be solved in order to create more employment opportunities.