When most of us think of farming in the ocean, we think about ocean aquaculture ( the farming of fishes in the ocean for human consumption) but there is another up an coming form of farming that uses the ocean. Ocean wind farms! these are large scale arrays of turbines that are set out at sea as this is where there is plenty of space and also where most places get constant and regular wind. This video explains what offshore wind farms are and their use and potential in the north sea.

The creation of offshore wind farms is filled with controversy. There are many potential risks and just as many benefits. the most immediate benefit that will come to my and your mind is that of the generation of electricity. But this isn’t all! In this blog i will endeavor to open your minds to the wide range of benefits while highlighting some concerns.

The biggest ecological concern comes from the construction phase of the wind farms (Snyder and Kaiser 2009). during this time there is high levels of noise that are created that may interfere with the echo-locators of certain fish and predators. The operating noise has the potential to affect migration of certain eel species as outlined in Andersson et al. 2012 paper on the endangered silver eel. though that study resulted in the conclusion that the wind farms do not directly affect the eel migration which leads us to believe that the ecological impacts may not be as bad as we think. similarly the effects due to noise are minimal after construction is completed.

One of the mostly unseen positives of offshore wind farm arrays is that they can help in protecting ocean ecosystems and species. this is due to the fact that they are normally made into no-trawling zones as there are underwater cables that could be cut. This is especially important in areas of the north sea where bottom trawling has decimated the ocean floor. This decimation has destroyed habitats, which is another thing that the turbine farms create. Their underwater structures provide surfaces for organisms to live on or between (Atrill 2012). Atrill talks about how the creation of offshore wind farms creates about 2.5 times the area it destroys. the wind farms create areas for filter feeders to settle upon which in turn attracts other fish. One area that was monitored resulted in a 60-fold increase in food biomass for fish. Along these same lines there is the potential for aquaculture of oysters and other marine organisms in between and on the wind farms. Germany is considering doing this which would both benefit the environment and provide food (Buck et al. 2004). A final quirky benefit is shown in this video:

Are offshore wind farms worth it? You decide and feel free to comment your opinions.

Andersson, M.,  I. Lagenfelt and P. Sigray. 2012. Do ocean-based wind farms alter the migration pattern in the endangered european silver eel (Anguilla anguilla) due to noise disturbance? Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Accessed at: doi 10.1007/978-1-4419-7311-5_90

Atrill, M. 2012. Marine renewable energy: necessary for safeguarding the marine environment? Friends of the Earth. Accessed at: http://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/marine_renewable_energy.pdf

Buck, B., G. Krause, and H Rosenthal. 2004. Extensive open aquaculture development within wind farms in Germany: the prospect of offshore co-management and legal constraints. Ocean and Coastal Management 47:95-122.

Snyder, B and M. Kaiser. 2009. Ecological and economic cost-benefit analysis of offshore wind energy. Renewable energy 34:1567-1578.