Secondary use of offshore wind farms - Settlement of juvenile European lobsters (Homarus gammarus)
The area and the underwater structures of offshore wind farms along the German coast could be potentially used secondary as artificial reefs for endangered hard-bottom species such as the European lobster (Homarus gammarus). A small lobster population is only present at the rocky subtidal of the isl...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Conference Object |
| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
2011
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/32020/ https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/32020/2/PosterSchmalenbachandKrone2011.pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.40689 https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.40689.d002 |
| Summary: | The area and the underwater structures of offshore wind farms along the German coast could be potentially used secondary as artificial reefs for endangered hard-bottom species such as the European lobster (Homarus gammarus). A small lobster population is only present at the rocky subtidal of the island of Helgoland (North Sea, German Bight), which has declined dramatically below a critical density since the 1960s. Here, the results of a pilot project for restocking European lobster at Helgoland could be transferred to offshore areas to test if a successful settlement of hatchery-reared juvenile lobsters at wind turbine foundations is feasible and ensure the persistence of this species in the German Bight. |
|---|