European Marine Energy Centre Wildlife Observation

A key concern expressed by policy makers, regulators and environmental stakeholders about deployment of marine energy devices in open waters relates to the possibility of the negative effects they may have on marine mammals and diving birds. The potential for direct collision with such devices, or harmful effects caused by their presence, including the potential for displacement of marine wildlife from habitual waters, are key factors which need to be addressed in order for the marine renewable energy industry to progress. In order to get as accurate a picture as possible about the presence and behaviour of marine wildlife in the vicinity of operating devices, data needs to be collected both underwater and at the sea surface.

The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) Ltd, has received research funding from the Scottish Government to carry out land-based vantage point surface wildlife observations at its four test sites in the Orkney Islands to inform on the potential for any displacement effect. These observations provide baseline data which can be used to look at the distribution and behaviour of marine mammals, diving birds and other wildlife across the area of the test sites. The data gathered can also be used to inform regulatory decision-making, as well as in guiding developers’ device-specific environmental monitoring programmes.

More information and data from the various sites can be found in the links below.

One of the objectives of the observation programme was to provide information about species presence and behaviour at each site, which can be used to establish whether the installation, presence and operation of marine energy converter devices causes displacement of surface-visible wildlife from habitual waters, and to identify any discernible changes in wildlife behaviour. Analysis of the data has now been completed, please refer the link below for further details.