Short Science Summary 2024: Changes in Benthic and Pelagic Habitats

Most marine renewable energy (MRE) devices must be attached to the seafloor in some way, either by gravity foundations, pilings, anchors, or mooring lines; many will also have transmission cables on the seabed, as well as the devices themselves in the water column. Physical changes in benthic and pelagic habitats have the potential to alter where species live and how common they are at a site, which may lead to habitat loss, alter ecological patterns, modify ecosystem functions and services, affect the behavior of many marine organisms, and provide opportunities for non-native species to become established.

This short science summary for Changes in Benthic and Pelagic Habitats was developed based on the OES-Environmental 2024 State of the Science Report: Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy Development Around the World, specifically Chapter 3: Marine Renewable Energy: Stressor-Receptor Interactions.

Title	Author	Date Sort ascending	Content Type	Technology	Stressor	Receptor
The Ecosystem Consequences of Sediment Disturbance	Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS)	March 2005	Report	Marine Energy	Habitat Change	Invertebrates, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport
Shallow Moving Structures Promote Marine Invader Dominance	Dafforn, K., Johnston, E., Glasby, T.	January 2005	Journal Article	Marine Energy	Habitat Change	Invertebrates
Fish in the littoral zone: ecology, threats and management	Winfield, I.	May 2004	Journal Article	Marine Energy	Habitat Change	Fish
Fish Aggregation Device (FAD) Research: Gaps in Current Knowledge and Future Directions for Ecological Studies	Dempster, T., Taquet, M.	March 2004	Journal Article	Marine Energy	Attraction, Habitat Change	Fish, Pelagic Fish
Marine Fish Assemblages Associated with Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs): Effects of Fish Removal, FAD Size, Fouling Communities, and Prior Recruits	Nelson, P.	October 2003	Journal Article	Marine Energy	Attraction, Habitat Change	Ecosystem Processes, Fish
Homing of Pelagic Fish to Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs): The Role of Sensory Cues	Dempster, T., Kingsford, M.	August 2003	Journal Article	Marine Energy	Habitat Change	Fish, Pelagic Fish
A General Theory on Fish Aggregation to Floating Objects: An Alternative to the Meeting Point Hypothesis	Castro, J., Santiago, J., Santana-Ortega, A.	September 2002	Journal Article	Marine Energy	Attraction, Habitat Change	Ecosystem Processes, Fish
Evaluating the Coastal Environment for Marine Birds	Wanless, S., Bacon, P., Harris, M., Webb, A.	June 2002	Journal Article	Marine Energy, Wind Energy	Habitat Change	Birds, Physical Environment
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Final Environmental Impact Statement	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)	July 1981	Report	Marine Energy, OTEC	Chemicals, Habitat Change, Noise	Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
The Potential Environmental Consequences of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Plants	Walsh, J.	May 1981	Workshop Article	Marine Energy, OTEC	Chemicals, Habitat Change	Physical Environment, Water Quality
Assessment and Control of OTEC Ecological Impacts	Wilde, P., Sandusky, J., Jassby, A.	December 1978	Report	OTEC, Marine Energy	Habitat Change, Chemicals	Legal & Policy, Human Dimensions
Assessment and Control of OTEC Physical Environmental Impacts	Ditmars, J.	November 1978	Conference Paper	Marine Energy, OTEC	Habitat Change	Physical Environment
Field Experiments on the Attraction of Pelagic Fish to Floating Objects	Hunter, J., Mitchell, C.	January 1968	Journal Article	Marine Energy	Attraction, Habitat Change	Fish, Pelagic Fish