An exploration of suitability for windfarm placement in the Dutch North Sea with particular reference to benthos and demersal fish

An increasing number of offshore windfarms are planned in the North Sea. In many cases the areas involved are also closed to fisheries. This may have important conservation implications for organisms in these areas, but may also have implications for fisheries. Whether or not area closures are effective depends on both species interactions within windfarms, and the placement and location of windfarms. This study uses existing data from routine surveys to examine the distribution of demersal fish and benthos, their potential sensitivity to mortality and thus their potential response to windfarm placement, and derives recommendations for windfarm placement based on this.