The role of acoustic telemetry to assess the effects of offshore wind infrastructure on fish behaviour, populations and predation

Abstract

Inshore and offshore coastal regions are becoming increasingly occupied by anthropogenic infrastructure. This trend will continue with the drive for offshore renewable energy development to reduce carbon emissions and provide energy security. The introduction of structures to the marine environment can have direct and indirect effects on benthic and pelagic habitats, and subsequent impacts on species contributing to these ecosystems. Fish are both prey and predators and, therefore, important components to the functioning of food webs in these environments. Should their behaviour, distribution and/or populations be altered by introduced structures then it is important to understand the direction and magnitude of effects, both at local and regional seascape scales, to understand how these effects may influence ecological interactions. The migratory behaviour of some fish species also contributes temporal and spatial variability and uncertainty to observed patterns, which should be characterised to provide a fuller understanding of the consequences of introduced structures. Acoustic telemetry provides insights into the movement and behaviour of individual fish at scales from single wind turbines to regional networks of offshore wind farm developments. Here we review how acoustic telemetry has added to the understanding of fish behaviour around introduced structures and discuss how its use can be (and is being) expanded to provide a wider ecological understanding of the impacts of offshore wind farms through collaborative networks, and integrated research techniques and analyses.