Current state of knowledge of the effects of offshore renewable energy generation devices on marine mammals and research requirements Marine Mammal Scientific Support Research Programme MMSS/001/11 MR 1 & MR 2: Report Current state of knowledge of the effects of offshore renewable energy generation devices on marine mammals and research requirements. Update, September 2014 Sea Mammal Research Unit Report to Scottish Government July 2015 [version F1] Thompson, D., Hall, A. J., McConnell, B. J., Northridge S. P. & Sparling, C Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB. Current state of knowledge of the effects of offshore renewable energy generation devices on marine mammals and research requirements Editorial Trail Main Author Comments Version Date D. Thompson main draft V1.0 01/10/2014 A. Hall B. McConnell S. Northridge C. Sparling B. McConnell final QA V2.0 08/10/2014 G. Hastie final QA (partial – V3.0 13/10/2014 piling noise section only) Marine Scotland comments V4.0 27/10/2014 P. Irving final QA V5.0 19/11/2014 A. Hall final QA V5.0 20/11/2014 Marine Scotland comments V6.0 26/11/2014 C. Sparling response to V7.0 22/12/2014 comments P. Irving final QA V7.1 12/01/2015 A. Hall final editing VF1 20/07/2015 Citation of report Thompson, D., Hall, A. J., McConnell, B. J., Northridge, S. P. & Sparling, C. (2015) Current state of knowledge of effects of offshore renewable energy generation devices on marine mammals and research requirements. Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews, Report to Scottish Government, no. MR 1 & MR 2, St Andrews, 55pp. Page 2 of 55 Current state of knowledge of the effects of offshore renewable energy generation devices on marine mammals and research requirements Contents 1 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 5 2 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Scope ....................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Approach ................................................................................................................................. 6 2.3 Structure .................................................................................................................................. 6 3 Spatial and Temporal Overlap ........................................................................................................ 7 3.1 Marine mammal abundance and distribution .......................................................................... 7 3.1.1 UK seals .......................................................................................................................... 7 3.1.2 UK Cetacea ..................................................................................................................... 8 3.2 Possible indicator sites .......................................................................................................... 10 4 Potential Proximate Impacts ......................................................................................................... 11 4.1 Noise ..................................................................................................................................... 11 4.1.1 Construction .................................................................................................................. 11 4.1.2 Operation ....................................................................................................................... 16 4.2 Physical contact .................................................................................................................... 17 4.2.1 Tidal-OREG .................................................................................................................. 17 4.2.2 Shipping ........................................................................................................................ 19 4.2.3 Entanglement ................................................................................................................ 21 4.2.4 Exclusion and barrier effects ......................................................................................... 22 4.3 Electric fields ........................................................................................................................ 22 5 Consequences of Impacts .............................................................................................................. 22 5.1 Individual .............................................................................................................................. 22 5.1.1 Noise ............................................................................................................................. 22 5.1.2 Physical contact............................................................................................................. 23 5.1.3 Disturbance effects ........................................................................................................ 23 5.2 Population ............................................................................................................................. 23 5.2.1 Extrapolating to population level effects ...................................................................... 23 5.2.2 Marine mammal conservation targets ........................................................................... 25 6 Research Gaps - update ................................................................................................................. 26 6.1 Marine mammals .................................................................................................................. 26 6.2 Co-ordination of monitoring at marine renewables sites. ..................................................... 37 7 Appendices - Related OREG working and other groups .............................................................. 42 7.1 Working groups .................................................................................................................... 42 7.1.1 UK ................................................................................................................................. 42 7.1.2 Europe ........................................................................................................................... 43 7.1.3 United States of America .............................................................................................. 45 7.1.4 Canada ........................................................................................................................... 46 Current state of knowledge of the effects of offshore renewable energy generation devices on marine mammals and research requirements 7.1.5 International .................................................................................................................. 47 7.2 Operational open sea OREG test centres .............................................................................. 47 7.2.1 UK ................................................................................................................................. 47 7.2.2 EUROPE ....................................................................................................................... 49 7.2.3 CANADA ..................................................................................................................... 50 7.2.4 USA ............................................................................................................................... 51 7.3 UK funded research programmes ......................................................................................... 51 7.3.1 SuperGen Marine (Phase 1) .......................................................................................... 51 7.3.2 SuperGen Marine (Phase 2) .......................................................................................... 51 7.3.3 SuperGen UK Centre for Marine Energy Research (UKCMER) ................................. 51 7.3.4 UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) ........................................................................ 52 7.3.5 EPSRC Grand Challenge (SuperGen Marine Challenge 1) .......................................... 52 7.3.6 EPSRC Grand Challenge (SuperGen Marine Challenge 2) .......................................... 52 7.3.7 Marine Renewable Energy Research Programme ......................................................... 52 7.3.8 The Research Councils UK Energy Programme ........................................................... 52 7.3.9 Developing The Offshore Wind Supply Chain ............................................................. 52 7.3.10 Developing the offshore renewable energy supply chain: Knowledge Transfer Partnerships ................................................................................................................................... 53 7.3.11 Marine energy: Supporting array technologies ............................................................. 53 7.3.12 In-Stream Tidal Energy: Advancing environmental monitoring, sensing and instrumentation technologies for high flow marine environments................................................ 53 7.3.13 The Offshore Renewable Energy CATAPULT. ..........................................................