A lot happens underneath the waves of the North Sea, and we want to better understand this submerged world. Especially, the effects of human activity on the marine ecosystem. How, for example, do fish migrate through offshore wind farms? How effective are our nature-enhancing measures? Innovative monitoring techniques help us answer these questions. With Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) we’re able to keep a keen eye on marine life.
The video bellow offers an impression of innovative monitoring techniques tested in the field. It was created in collaboration with our Nature Regeneration North Sea partners.
This project is a collaboration between Wageningen Marine Research, TNO, and Seaward, with funding provided by Nature Regeneration North Sea. Together, we map available techniques, analyze collected data, and make the lessons learned publicly available in our Toolbox.
We also work with seven monitoring partners: BeeX, Deep Trekker Inc., IQUA ROBOTICS, DCN Diving, Lobster Robotics, SEABER, and Subsea Tech. With Oskar van Megen from The Rich North Sea as project leader.
During the monitoring mission, marine life was documented through photography, video recordings, sonar, 3D renders, and abiotic and water sampling. Field deployment also allows us to evaluate user-friendliness and effectiveness of monitoring techniques.
Following the testing days, the collected data helps us illustrate the current state of monitoring techniques and identify opportunities for better integration between technology and ecology. Altogether, this project enhances our understanding of which innovations are the most efficient, safe, and cost effective in monitoring marine life in the North Sea.
“As The Rich North Sea, we are continuously looking for ways to monitor the impact of our nature enhancement projects in offshore wind farms in a more efficient, safe and cost-effective way. This project helps us explore new techniques and partnerships, enabling us to further strengthen our approach to marine nature restoration.”
The Rich North Sea connects organizations and research new techniques by deploying them in the field. We coordinate and facilitate collaboration between science and industry and share our results publicly so that our lessons learned can serve as building blocks for future projects.
