Corsican marine aquaculture is one of the highest contributors of fish production in France, which may result in environmental perturbations caused by organic matter (OM) accumulation under fish farms and impacting natural communities. This study aimed to (1) characterise the environmental conditions at two different fish farms, (2) monitor the response of benthic foraminiferal species to this activity, and (3) assess the accuracy of existing foraminiferal biotic indices. In 2017, sea floor sediment was sampled in transects from two Corsican fish farms for living foraminiferal and sedimentary analyses. Four indices were calculated and compared: exp(H′_bc), Foram-AMBI, Foram Stress Index and TSI-Med. A significant increase in total organic carbon (TOC) has been shown, mainly below the fish cages. Communities were characterized by a shift from high density, opportunistic and tolerant species under the cages to lower densities and more sensitive species further away. According to their distribution patterns along the TOC gradient, we propose to update the ecological group classification of seven species to improve Foram-AMBI’s accuracy and sensitivity: Triloculina oblonga and Quinqueloculina lamarckiana to Ecological Group (EG) I; Rosalina bradyi to EGIII; and Bolivina dilatata, Bulimina aculeata and Quinqueloculina stalkeri to EGIV. We recommend prioritising the use of TSI-Med and Foram-AMBI with the updated list to assess ecological quality in coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

In the United States (US) and in France, offshore wind farms (OWFs) and floating offshore wind farms (FOWFs) have faced political concerns and, in some cases, strong stakeholder opposition. Respecting the views of local communities is critical for a socially responsible energy transition. The development of such projects should also minimize impacts on the environment. This study aimed to assess and compare US and French coastal communities' perceptions of OWFs and FOWFs and to understand how artificial reefs may affect attitudes towards FOWFs. In 2022, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with local people in the state of Maine (US) and in the Pays‐de‐la‐Loire region (France) near planned or existing floating offshore wind projects. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Overall, a remarkable similarity was found between the regions, where both American and French communities were generally supportive of OWFs, and FOWFs in particular. Most concerns were related to biodiversity impacts, economic impacts (fisheries and economics) or aesthetic impacts. Differences between countries were seen in secondary concerns such as noise impacts or maintenance issues. Artificial reefs were largely viewed positively, although people were skeptical about the benefits and concerned about material and cost. Artificial reefs did not change people's opinions about FOWFs, and instead, they reinforced attitudes of opponents and supporters. People showed strong agreement upon their confidence in scientific leadership for such future projects, expressing a need for collaboration between academic researchers, governments, private companies, and seafarers.

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) raise concerns among coastal communities due to their potential impacts on marine biodiversity and fisheries. This issue is particularly striking in France, where the government is accelerating offshore wind deployment to meet decarbonisation targets while maintaining a relatively large fisheries sector. This study investigates public preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for an innovative eco-engineering solution aiming at enhancing marine biodiversity, supporting artisanal fisheries and minimising seabed disturbance. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted among 306 residents across five French coastal territories (i.e. departments) to quantify trade-offs among four attributes including structure material, biodiversity gain, fishery impact and additional cost on the electricity bill. Results from a conditional logit model reveal strong and consistent public support for eco-engineering features. Biodiversity enhancement, fishery revenue growth and the use of recycled steel for building eco-engineering structures were all positively valued by respondents, as reflected in their willingness to pay. The territorial variation was more limited than initially assumed, reflected in similar coefficients between departments, except for recycled steel, which showed variation between two departments. This paper provides new evidence on how targeted eco-engineering measures can improve social acceptability by combining preference modelling with ecological design considerations. The results show how important it is to include public preferences in the early design of floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) projects to improve both environmental performance and public acceptance.

Analyse comparée de bio-colonisation de structures en présence de récifs artificiels et impact sur l’acceptabilité des Energies Marines Renouvelables.: Afin de limiter le changement climatique lié à l’utilisation d’énergies fossiles, certaines nations se tournent vers l’utilisation de sources d’énergies renouvelables notamment d'origine éolienne. Bénéficiant des acquis et technologies de l’industrie pétrolière offshore, l’industrie éolienne a pu s’étendre vers la haute mer. Toutefois, avec des enjeux environnementaux et sociétaux, ce déplacement vers le large n’est pas sans impacts. En effet, les éoliennes en mer peuvent engendrer des effets indésirables sur la vie marine. La littérature montre également une colonisation rapide des structures immergées par des communautés benthiques sessiles. Cette biocolonisation peut impacter ce secteur en plein essor en modifiant les paramètres des composants immergés de façon significative. Dans ce manuscrit ce point a été étudié via l’analyse de médias sous-marins de lignes d'ancrages d’une éolienne flottante française. En parallèle, les perceptions et inquiétudes de communautés côtières du Nord-Est des États- Unis et de I ‘Ouest de la France ont été recueillies. Ceci a permis de mettre en évidence les préoccupations récurrentes sur les impacts sur la biodiversité marine ou la pêche locale. Ces résultats ont par la suite permis de développer un concept de — structure d'atténuation des effets environnementaux pour éolienne flottante. Le concept, exposé auprès de communautés littorales américaines et françaises, a permis de quantifier la volonté de payer pour son application dans les futurs parcs éoliens flottants. Enfin, ce concept de structure a été le sujet de tests à échelle réduite au large des Sables d’ Olonne.

As France accelerates its offshore wind energy ambitions to meet decarbonization targets, floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) have emerged as a key technology. However, concerns about their ecological and social impacts remain prominent among coastal populations. This study investigates public preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for an innovative eco-engineering solution to be integrated into future floating wind farms: a multifunctional structure aiming at enhancing marine biodiversity, supporting artisanal fisheries and minimizing seabed disturbance. A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted on 306 French residents across five coastal departments to quantify trade-offs and explore territorial variation in acceptability. The DCE included four attributes: structure material (recycled or new steel), biodiversity gain, impact on local fisheries revenue, and additional cost to electricity bills. Results from a Conditional Logit Model and WTP estimation reveal a generally high level of support for eco-engineering features with biodiversity and fishery co-benefits strongly valued. Only the “recycled steel” attribute showed significant territorial variation, with Bouches-du-Rhône respondents exhibiting a higher WTP for this attribute. The study also showed that negative attitudes toward offshore wind power were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of selecting the status quo scenario, even when ecological enhancements were present. The study underscores the importance of integrating social preferences into the early design of FOWT projects and demonstrates that eco-engineering can be a viable lever for environmental and social integration of these projects.