The co-location of offshore windfarms and decapod fisheries in the UK: Constraints and opportunities

The offshore wind sector in the UK is expanding rapidly and is set to occupy significant areas of the coastal zone, making it necessary to explore the potential for co-location with other economic activities. The presence of turbine foundations introduces hard substrates into areas previously domina...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hooper, Tara, Austen, Melanie
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X13001371
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Summary:The offshore wind sector in the UK is expanding rapidly and is set to occupy significant areas of the coastal zone, making it necessary to explore the potential for co-location with other economic activities. The presence of turbine foundations introduces hard substrates into areas previously dominated by soft sediments, implying that artificial reef effects may occur, with potential benefits for fisheries. This review focuses on the possibilities for locating fisheries for two commercially important decapods, the brown crab Cancer pagurus and the European lobster Homarus gammarus, within offshore wind farms. Artificial reef effects; Cancer pagurus; Co-location; Homarus gammarus; Offshore wind energy;