Connectivity of Hard Substrate Assemblages in the North Sea (CHASANS)

A global demand for energy in parallel with concerns about global warming and energy security are motivating many nations to look for novel and sustainable sources of energy. At the same time the Oil ad Gas Industry is looking to decommission significant infrastructure as it comes to the end of its life cycle. There is a clear transition underway which brings challenges of infrastructure management.

Among the issues raised by the offshore industries are those arising from the biological colonization of their structures. This project is aimed at describing the connectivity between structures and understanding the consequences for other sectors when structures are removed or added to the network in the norther North Sea. The project has been designed with several sectoral, governmental and industrial partners and there will be a strong emphasis on converting the scientific results into action at sea.

The importance of colonization arises both from the need to make the developments efficient (to produce a reliable source of energy cost effectively) and to ensure the developments are environmentally acceptable. "Environmentally acceptable" covers a multitude of points, ranging from maintaining healthy sea life to avoiding conflicting with other sea users, including fishers who may have a prior claim on the development sites. The research in this project will be diverse to cover the many factors. A keystone of the project will be deployments of a Standard Monitoring System designed to facilitate data collection using practical and effective methods. That system centres on settling plates that will be progressively colonized by biofouling marine invertebrates. These organisms can impede the performance of the energy capturing devices, but can also be a foundation of thriving sea life. Structures including suitable niches can provide living space for larger organisms such as crabs and lobsters, adding to their "reef effect". The reef effect can be important to enhance marine life (biodiversity) but should also be beneficial to commercial fisheries, compensating fishers for some loss of access. However, there can also be dangers such as potentially adding to the spread of invasive species, and the research will also consider that. Ultimately, we want to find a way to ensure that offshore infrastructure is a positive addition to the marine environment and our research will be directed to that end.

The research will impact on the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) industry, fisheries, aquaculture and regional and national governance and planning.

North Sea ecosystems represent an important regional contribution to marine biodiversity and conservation and also support an economically important fishing industry. In terms of the UK economy alone, the UK fishing industry is estimated to employ 24,000 people and contribute £1.4 billion to the economy annually in terms of Gross Value Added (2016 values). Geographically, by far the two largest contributions are from Scotland and from Yorkshire and Humberside, both of which largely depend on North Sea Fisheries. It is important to understand how the addition and removal of structures in the North Sea will act on the fishing industry. At the same time the costs of decommissioning or commissioning infrastructure in the North Sea are very high. In July 2019 Oil & Gas Authority estimated an offshore oil and gas decommissioning cost for the entire UK Continental Shelf of £51 billion. These costs depend on particular operational practices that should be informed by the outcome for marine ecosystems and fisheries. The project should inform favourable outcomes for the ecosystems, the fishing industry and industries involved in installation or decommissioning.

Habitat enhancement will benefit fisheries through greater stock recruitment. Further economic impacts will be provided by supporting new roles and jobs through upscaling of hatcheries and marine infrastructure.

EMEC's leading role as developer representative in the ORE sector and key member in several important networks (e.g. Fisheries Liaison with Offshore Wind and Wet Renewables group) has provided a conduit from industry and has informed our study design and provides a platform for sharing project outputs within the sector and beyond. Similarly strong local contacts with fisheries (e.g. Orkney Sustainable Fisheries) and aquaculture industries will ensure efficient exchange of information.

The research will also help inform marine planning and governance, including consent processes, zoning of maritime activities and biosecurity measures (in response to non-native species). Contacts with key bodies (e.g. Marine Scotland Science and Scottish Natural Heritage in Scotland) will enable that impact.