Changes in fishing practices around the UK as a result of the

development of offshore windfarms – Phase 1

New research report available from The Crown Estate

This report may be downloaded from The Crown Estate website at:

http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/energy-and-infrastructure/research/energy-research/reports/

Summary

A new report, ‘Changes to fishing practices around the UK as a result of the development of offshore windfarms – Phase 1’ has recently been published.

This research report represents the outcomes from a study commissioned by The Crown Estate from the National Federation of Fishermens’ Organisations (NFFO). This first report examines the impact of the development of offshore windfarms on fishing practices in the Eastern Irish Sea. A further study is in progress to examine similar issues in the Thames Estuary and in The Wash.

The aim of the Phase 1 study was to determine if and, if so, to what extent and why fishing activity had changed within the area of six operating offshore windfarms (OWFs) in the Eastern Irish Sea. Since 2000 there has been a large reduction in fishing effort and landings of demersal fish, which is attributed to a reduction in the Total Allowable Catch (TAC). Although landings of Nephrops from the area remained fairly stable during the period before and after OWF construction, VMS data showed a decline in Nephrops trawling following the construction of one OWF. Confidence in evidence which suggested a decline in all types of fishing within the other OWFs was low to medium. Overall, the study showed that whilst there have been some changes to fishing activity, primarily due to perceived risks to gear by fishing fleets, the fishing industry is co-existing with OWFs. The report includes some recommendations for increased levels of co-existence between the fishing industry, offshore windfarm developers and operators, and service companies.

The suggested citation for the report is as follows:

Gray, M., Stromberg, P.-L. and Rodmell, D.2016. ‘Changes to fishing practices around the UK as a result of the development of offshore windfarms – Phase 1’, The Crown Estate, 121 pages, ISBN: 978-1-906410-64-3

The report may be downloaded from The Crown Estate website at:

http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/energy-and-infrastructure/research/energy-research/reports/

For further information contact:

Prof Mike Cowling, Chief Scientist, The Crown Estate, 16 New Burlington Place, London, W1S 2HX. Tel. 020 7851 5032