Abstract
The Rhyl Flats wind farm is situated at the eastern end of the Constable Bank, an area dominated by sand and sandy-gravel sedimentary deposits. The fish and shellfish fauna of Constable Bank are characteristic of inshore, shallow-water sandy areas around the coast of England and Wales; non is rare.
The principal commercial species' spawning grounds off the North Wales coast are those for plaice and Dover sole. There is a nursery area for both species landward of Constable Bank between Colwyn Bay and Rhyl. There may also be a spawning-nursery area for rays on rougher ground towards Rhyl-Prestatyn and both the Conwy and Dee Estuaries are designated statutory bass nursery areas. All of the local rivers, support salmon and sea trout runs although sea trout are noticeably more abundant relative to salmon in the River Clwyd than either the Dee or Conwy.
With the exception of plaice and herring, ICES assessments of principal commercial fish stocks in the Irish Sea, i.e. cod, sole, whiting, found them to be exploited above levels for long-term sustainability. At present, however, there are no regular assessments of rays or bass, both of which are targeted over Constable Bank or its vicinity.
The commercially important stocks of nephrops and scallops are concentrated in the central to northern parts of the eastern Irish Sea, well away from Rhyl Flats and Constable Bank. Similarly, there are no commercially important stocks of mussels, cockles or shrimps closer than the Dee, Conwy or eastern Menai Strait. There are commercially exploited populations of crabs and lobsters around the Great Ormes Head and whelks in the vicinity of, if not on Constable Bank.
Several species of national and, or international nature conservation interest have been recorded in and around Liverpool Bay but, with the exception of smelt in the River Conwy, non appears to have a locally-based population.
All fishing is subject to regulations of the EU common fisheries policy and inside 6 miles from baselines, which includes the Constable Bank, byelaws of the North Western & North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee. The area is characterized by very low levels of fishing activity with virtually non in the winter. Tangle-netting for rays occurs on Constable Bank each spring and late summer but trawling activity is sporadic and rare. Potting for whelks occures in the vicinity but probably not on the Constable Bank itself.