Five species of sharks and rays, including basking shark, live among offshore wind farms

Five species of sharks and rays, including the massive basking shark, live off the Dutch coast among the offshore wind farms, according to research by Wageningen University. “This is good news,” researcher Annemiek Hermans told NOS. “For a while, it was thought that the activity at wind farms would deter sharks and rays. But our information shows that this is not the case.”

The researchers looked for evidence of sharks and rays near the 139 turbines of the Hollandse Kust Zuid wind farm, located 18 kilometers off the coast between The Hague and Zandvoort. They found signs of five different species, including stingrays and basking sharks. Until now, basking sharks, which can grow up to 8 meters long, have only occurred sporadically along the Dutch coast.

Several species of sharks and rays are native to the North Sea. The Wageningen researchers launched this study because of concerns that the construction of wind farms would deter the animals. “Think of underwater noise. Lots of shipping movements. Rocks being dumped; it’s quite a busy period,” Hermans said.

And while the animals may have avoided the area during the construction period, they have now returned. Hermans has a suspicion about why this is the case. “After the construction of a wind farm, fishing that disturbs the bottom is not allowed for 40 years,” she said to the broadcaster. “That is good for many species. For example, sharks and rays, which use the seabed a lot to find food or lay eggs.”

The researchers’ findings are based on DNA traces that they found in 436 samples of scale, mucus, and faeces residues on the seabed in the wind farm.