Abstract
This study commissioned by The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality facilitated the initiation of passive fishing in wind farms, by experimenting with four fishing methods in offshore wind farm Borssele. Through a pilot experiment in offshore wind farm Borssele, the ecological parameters, economic considerations, (by)catch and safety requirements of applying various passive fishing methods in an offshore wind farm were explored. This report outlines the results, possibilities as well as challenges, and considers operational factors, safety measures, fishing gear specifications, economic feasibility, and ecological aspects.
The experimental set-up was developed collaboratively with a focus group of fishers and scientists. The gears to be tested were selected based on target species (is the species present in the fishing area and is it expected to yield?), gear-type (is the gear legally allowed to be used, is the gear testable in the short term, and is there enough confidence from the fishers in this gear?), planning (are there enough available vessels and crew, do the gears overlap?), available space within wind farm (does the experimental plot allow for enough room for the gear to be applied?) and seasonality (to test the gears, do the target species match the chosen seasons, and are there enough days with calm weather circumstances in a particular season?). It led to the selection of four gears: handline fishing, mechanical jigging, multi-species pots and gillnets. For each gear, multiple testing days were made in the period April to October 2023, in offshore wind farm Borssele, off the Dutch coast. Three fishing vessels were used: YE 152 (9.95 m in length) for gillnet and multi-species pot fishing, KG 7 (6.5 meter in length) for handline fishing and MDV 2 (30.51 meter in length) for jigging. During experimental fishing in the field, data on operations and safety, economics, ecology and catch were collected. The experiment had an explorative character. Not all gears were repeated in the similar approach, reducing replicates.