flatfish in windmillparks

Effecten van offshore windmolenparken op de ecologie en verspreiding van platvissoorten in het Belgisch deel van de Noordzee (P Offshore wind farms are built at an enormous rate in European waters to meet with the imposed targets for renewable energy production. The introduction of hard structures and their scour protection layers in an otherwise sandy environment such as the Belgian part of the North Sea entails various opportunities for reef-associated species. However, it is also thought to impact the marine environment in a negative way through e.g. sound pollution, changes in hydrological and light conditions and the introduction of electro-magnetic fields. Therefore, it is of vital importance to study the influences of this newly introduced habitat on commercially important species that are not directly associated with reef-like structures. This research will study the impacts of offshore wind farms on the ecology and distribution of autochthonous demersal fish species in the (Belgian part of the) North Sea, with a clear focus on comparing health condition indices of flatfish between locations in- and outside a wind farm and an emphasis on the implications for the flatfish fisheries in general. This way, we want to elucidate the effects of blue growth, in terms of offshore renewable energy, on the marine environment in a wider North Sea context.

Cruises

Plan code Principal Investigator Duration Shared campaigns