Abstract
This report details research supervised by Or Andrew Gill, at the University of Liverpool, on behalf of the Countryside Council for Wales to assess the potential effects of -I electromagnetic fields generated by cabling between offshore wind turbines upon Elasmobranch Fishes. The report contains four main sections:
- A review of the literature relating to electroreception and elasmobranchs and relevant literature on offshore wind farm developments.
- A review of the current situation regarding offshore wind developments focussing on their environmental impacts with particular implications for British elasmobranches.
- A summary of the current status and extent of relevant biological knowledge of British elasmobranchs.
- A pilot study which experimentally demonstrates the response of the benthic elasmobranch, the dogfish Scyliorhinus canicula, to two electric fields, one simulating prey and the other the maximum potential output from unburied undersea cables.
Finally, the report provides recommendations for future research considerations.