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Residency, site fidelity and habitat use of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) at an offshore wind farm using acoustic telemetry
Reubens, J.T.; Pasotti, F.; Degraer, S.; Vincx, M. (2013). Residency, site fidelity and habitat use of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) at an offshore wind farm using acoustic telemetry. Mar. Environ. Res. 90: 128–135. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2013.07.001
In: Marine Environmental Research. Applied Science Publishers: Barking. ISSN 0141-1136; e-ISSN 1879-0291
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
    Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Open Marine Archive 252987 [ download pdf ]
Keywords
    ANE, North Sea
    Measurement > Telemetry > Acoustic telemetry
    Power stations > Wind farms
    Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758 [WoRMS]
    North Sea [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    Artificial hard substrates; Residency; Site fidelity; Habitat use
Authors  Top 
  • Reubens, J.T.
  • Pasotti, F.
  • Degraer, S.
  • Vincx, M.
Abstract
    Because offshore wind energy development is fast growing in Europe it is important to investigate the changes in the marine environment and how these may influence local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. One of the species affected by these ecosystem changes is Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), a heavily exploited, commercially important fish species. In this research we investigated the residency, site fidelity and habitat use of Atlantic cod on a temporal scale at windmill artificial reefs in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Acoustic telemetry was used and the Vemco VR2W position system was deployed to quantify the movement behaviour. In total, 22 Atlantic cod were tagged and monitored for up to one year. Many fish were present near the artificial reefs during summer and autumn, and demonstrated strong residency and high individual detection rates. When present within the study area, Atlantic cod also showed distinct habitat selectivity. We identified aggregation near the artificial hard substrates of the wind turbines. In addition, a clear seasonal pattern in presence was observed. The high number of fish present in summer and autumn alternated with a period of very low densities during the winter period.
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