Do electromagnetic fields from subsea power cables effect benthic elasmobranch behaviour? A risk-based approach for the Dutch Continental Shelf

The Effects of Anthropogenic Electromagnetic Fields on the Behavior of Geomagnetically Displaced Skates

“…The behavioral repertoire of an organism is its first line of defense against rapid environmental change, and these studies show that the behavioral responses of elasmobranchs to EMF stimuli can vary significantly depending on the species, life stage, ecological niche, and the quality, magnitude, and duration of stimuli ( reviewed in Hutchinson et al 2021, Hermans et al 2024). Given the breadth of responses, it is possible that an elasmobranch that encounters a rapid and relatively significant (∼10X) increase in the local GMF due to an anthropogenic EMF could stop to investigate, bite, turn away from, or ignore the anomaly as they progress along their migratory route (Klimley et al 2021, Marra et al 1989, Taormina et al 2018, Gill and Desender 2020).…”

“…GMF-based navigation behavior has been demonstrated in several species (Lohman et al 1996, Keller et al 2021, Naisbett-Jones et al 2017 and 2020, Minkoff et al 2019, Putman et al 2014) by manipulating the ambient GMF to “magnetically displace” animals to a geographic location (treatment) that is within their normal distribution but different from their current physical location (control). Currently, there are several knowledge gaps in quantifying the behavioral response of phylogenetically diverse elasmobranch species exposed to GMF displacement stimuli and EMFs from fluctuating AC and constant DC subsea cables, especially under conditions that test the impact of repeated encounters with HVCs over small spatiotemporal scales (Gill and Desender 2020, Klimley et al 2021, Gill and Hutchison 2021, Hermans et al 2024).…”

“…As such, our hypotheses are that skates: (H1) can detect alterations to the ambient GMF, (H2) will alter their behavior in response to GMF displacement, (H3) can detect the EMFs emitted by an AC and DC model HVC, (H4) will alter their behavior in response to EMF cues, and (H5) will alter their GMF response (i.e., H2) with repeated EMF exposure. This work provides a foundation for future broad comparisons across phylogeny and ontogeny as well as longitudinal studies into the cumulative effects of chronic EMF exposure, including those with particular emphasis on vulnerable life history stages for each species (Gill and Desender 2020, Hutchinson et al 2021, Hermans et al 2024).…”

“…The behavioral repertoire of an organism is its first line of defense against rapid environmental change, and these studies show that the behavioral responses of elasmobranchs to EMF stimuli can vary significantly depending on the species, life stage, ecological niche, and the quality, magnitude, and duration of stimuli ( reviewed in Hutchinson et al 2021, Hermans et al 2024).…”