Mr Harry Thatcher1, Dr Thomas Stamp2, Dr David Wilcockson1, Prof Pippa Moore3
1Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth , Wales, 2Plymouth University, Plymouth, England, 3Newcastle University, Newcastle, England
The development of offshore wind farms (OWF) are vital for many countries to mitigate climate change and meet energy demands. It is important to gain an understanding of the effects these developments have on the marine environment and this is particularly true for commercially important species that support fishing industry and coastal communities. One species that is found in association with OWF’s is the European lobster (Homarus gammarus), a highly valued commercial species, with a fishery worth over £45 million in the UK alone.
Here we investigated the fine-scale movement patterns of European lobster within an OWF site in the Irish sea using acoustic telemetry. Positions of 60 tagged individuals were detected every 3 minutes for a period of 4 months over the summer of 2021 and 2022, this data was used to calculate individual hourly centers of activity. A kernel method was used to estimate total, monthly and daily home-ranges (95% utilization distribution, UD), and core territories (50% UD). While the majority of lobsters were highly resident to areas of scour protection with over 75% of individuals detected on a daily basis throughout the study, some individuals exhibited large within site movements (>5km). Activity levels were quantified using a standard detection frequency. Day night phases and temperature had significant effects on lobster activity levels. This study demonstrates that rock armor provided by offshore wind energy developments creates a habitat which can support populations of a highly valuable species and provides an insight into how varying environmental factors influence lobster activity and habitat utilization.
Presentation Slides – Harry Thatcher
Biography:
PhD student at Aberystwyth University using a combination of methods to investigate species interactions with offshore windfarms at varying scales. Completed undergraduate degree in Marine and Freshwater biology at Aberystwyth in 2018, then worked as part of AMer research group at Plymouth University monitoring MPA’s and offshore renewable energy structures before returning to Aberystwyth to begin PhD.
