Flora and fauna

Birds

Wind turbines produce noise, but, fortunately, most birds are sufficiently alert to stay away from them. Accordingly, the bird studies will focus on two main aspects: the (mainly evasive) behaviour of birds in response to the turbines and possible bird fatalities resulting from collisions with them. Observers on a ship will count bird numbers and study their behaviour in and around the wind farm. In addition, specific measures will be in place to register any collisions of birds with the turbines and to determine how often and under which weather conditions these occur.

Fish

Fishing is prohibited around the wind farm. Fish studies are being conducted to determine whether the wind farm constitutes a safe area for fish and whether larger, older fish can survive and may therefore increase in number. Special fish studies will be carried out, centring on round fish such as codfish and whiting as well as flat fish such as sole and plaice. Fish measurements will be done by dragging a special type of fishing net (depending on the type of fish) through the water and counting the numbers of each species. Measurements of the number of porpoises in the area will probably be done using T-pods, which register the sound they make.

Marine mammals

By measuring the incidence of porpoises in and around the wind farm, it can be determined whether the wind farm has an impact on their numbers in the area as well as on their migratory patterns.

Life in the seabed

A typical method that is used to catch flatfish in the North Sea is the beam trawl, a net that is dragged across the sea-floor. Beam-trawl fishery destroys many of the creatures in the seabed, such as shellfish, crabs and anemomes. Since fishing is prohibited in the area of the wind farm, the seabed within this area will be protected. The study will investigate to what extent this may have an impact on the presence and density of living organisms in and on the seabed.