Building on a previous pilot programme, the Teesside Offshore Wind Farm – operated by EDF power solutions UK and Ireland was identified as an ideal
study area to determine if Ridgeways` Filter Unit® Rockbags had the potential to create artificial fish nurseries (AFN) for commercial fish species.
After 12 years of operation at Teesside since installation, the marine environment had stabilised, offering a clearer view of ecosystem processes across the site. Additionally, with 11 of 27 turbines fitted with Filter Unit® Rockbags, the site provided a sufficient number of replicates to allow reliable comparisons between treatment and control areas.
In partnership with marine environment specialists FJORDSTRONG, a survey was carried out to investigate the wider role of Ridgeway’s Filter Unit® Rockbags in enhancing local ecosystems when installed as scour protection in offshore wind farms, and, by doing so, to assess Biodiversity Net Gain.
27 Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) deployments were conducted across the study area, yielding a total of 80 hours of stereo video data. The balanced survey design accounted for additional environmental drivers such as seabed depth, distance from the nearby river outflow and tidal state.
Initial analysis has shown key biodiversity indicators, community assemblages, juvenile presence and relative abundances between turbines with and without Rockbag scour protection.
The infographic illustrates the survey’s positive outcomes.
A comprehensive report, a peer-published manuscript and an infographic will be among the core deliverables for this project in due course.
A huge thank you to the EDF power solutions UK and Ireland Teesside Operations Team for a warm welcome and for facilitating this survey on an active site.
If you’d like to learn more about this study or discuss the findings in detail, our biodiversity team would be happy to help.
☎️ +44 (0) 2890454599
📧 info@rockbags.com
🌐 www.rockbags.com
