The Offshore Wind Industry Council is welcoming today's (Dec 3) funding announcement by the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme (OWEC) which will support further research into an environmentally-friendly way of catching scallops, using underwater LED lights, enabling more diversified fishing around offshore wind farms. The project is one of five announced by OWEC as part of its 2024 funding round.
The 18-month project will explore ways to co-locate scallop fisheries and offshore wind farms together, using alternative fishing methods to the traditional practice of dredging along the seabed which disturbs marine habitats and species. The LED lights, which use the same technology as disco lights, are placed into modified lobster and crab pots. Early trials showed that scallops are drawn towards them leading to an increase in the catch of up to 500%. These will now be rolled out at a regional level by fishing crews in Scarborough, Bridlington and Whitby who fish around and within offshore windfarms.
The Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme is a £50 million initiative funding nature-positive acceleration of offshore wind development. It is coalition of twenty-six organisations led by The Crown Estate, alongside programme partners, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The team working on the LED lights project includes the Offshore Wind Industry Council, Ørsted and the University of Exeter, as well as Fishtek Marine, based in Devon, which was nominated for the Earthshot Prize this year for devising a way to minimise the number of sharks being caught unintentionally during tuna fishing. Funding has also come from Natural England and the Fishmongers Guild.
RenewableUK's Consents and Environment Assistant Manager Oscar Wilkie, who leads on this work for the Offshore Wind Industry Council, said:
"As the offshore wind sector expands, it's increasingly important that we find ways to work together with other industries at sea such as commercial fishing. We're keen to ensure that the sea continues to be a shared space which benefits everyone, including nature and industry. We hope that this project will show that innovative environmentally-friendly fishing methods can be used to enable us to use the same areas of seabed. We're very grateful to our partners in the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme for helping to fund this important work".
Fishtek's Director of Conservation and Science Uptake Rob Enever said:
"This funding will be critical in helping us understand the potential of this new scallop pot fishery and how it supports diversification in the fishing industry, and operation around existing and potential wind farms in the North Sea."
Rachael Mills, Programme Lead for the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme, said:
"The Crown Estate's ambition is to create the world's most attractive and sustainable marine economy, so it's important we explore opportunities where balance can be found among the interests of the many industries using the seabed. By researching this innovative and sustainable scallop fishing technique, we are taking an important step towards better co-location between fisheries and the offshore wind industry. This forms part of our strategy to manage this vital resource effectively to deliver long-term value for the nation."
Cameron Moffat, Commercial Fisheries Manager at Ørsted, said:
"This project really demonstrates the importance of collaboration in creating innovative solutions to spatial challenges. We are delighted to be working with the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change Programme to support this project and continuing our approach of responsible offshore development."
