2010, Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies Ltd., (CMACS), Burbo Bank Offshore Wind Farm, Post-construction (Year 3) Commercial Fish Survey (4m Beam Trawl)
series
https://portal.medin.org.uk/portal/start.php?tpc=015_9fff3357-6673-4970-b7ad-6716ac6bb7ea
This series presents results of the 2010 4m beam trawl (‘commercial fish survey’) at Burbo Bank
Offshore Wind Farm. The survey contributes to a programme of environmental monitoring at the site
designed in response to conditions of the Food and Environment Protection Act (FEPA) Licence
issued to the developer.
The 2010 survey provides the fourth set of annual 4m beam trawl survey data designed to sample
demersal fish present in and around the wind farm and at reference sites. This was the second survey
during the operational phase of the wind farm and results have been compared with pre-construction
(baseline), during-construction and first post-construction surveys in preceding years.
The 4m trawl surveys have detected no major impact from wind farm operation on the distribution of
fish locally. This conclusion is based on high levels of similarity between catches pre, during and postconstruction
across sites and is consistent with the project Environmental Impact Assessment which
did not anticipate major effects. In general, catch rates were considerably lower in 2010 than in
preceding survey years, but these reductions occurred throughout the survey area, and not solely
within and around the wind farm array.
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