Apart from playing a key role in our clean energy transition, offshore wind farms may also play an essential part in restoring the European flat oyster beds in the North Sea.
At least that’s what Dutch maritime contracting company Van Oord plans to do by installing eight reef structures within an offshore wind farm located 2 km off the coast of the Netherlands. Called the Borssele Wind Farm Site V, the wind farm has been designated as an innovation site.
The effort is part of a research program aimed at expanding the North Sea’s oyster population, which has been greatly decimated over the last century due to overfishing, habitat destruction, and disease. But thanks to increasing numbers of protected areas and offshore wind farms that host the beds, the oysters are now experiencing a comeback.
As reported by Electrek, Borssele Wind Farm Site V’s research program is testing different outplacement methods for live European flat oysters such as contained, loose, and pre-settled. This is being done to determine which method works best for the long-term establishment of such oyster reefs, which are essential for ensuring a healthy and thriving ecosystem for marine life.
