Effects of a Wave Power Park with No-Take Zone on Decapod Abundance and Size

Abstract

Past studies have revealed higher levels of biodiversity, total abundance, and size of individuals around offshore installations of renewable energy. This study investigated the effects of Lysekil wave power park (area 0.5 km2) on the abundance and carapace size of decapods at the Swedish west coast. For that purpose, decapods were caught with cages during four consecutive summers. Two types of cages were applied to catch a wide range of decapod species and sizes. The abundance and size of decapods were not significantly different within the wave power park and up to a distance of 360 m outside of it. The catch rate, i.e., number of decapods caught in 24 h, was not significantly different among sampling locations but revealed inter-annual variation for both cage types. The results suggest a limited role of the incidental no-take zone of the small Lysekil wave power park on the abundance and size of local decapods. However, neither were negative impacts, such as decreasing abundances or smaller carapace sizes, discovered. As an increase in the number of marine renewable energy production sites is foreseen, a scaled-up and larger study addressing MPA networks and other environmental interactions should be considered.

Effects on faunistic composition and population characteristics of decapod crustaceans after the implementation of a fisheries no-take area in the NW Mediterranean

“…Another aspect that can affect occurrence and abundance differentially is the respective home/foraging range of each individual species. These effects, if any, should be more evident in slow-moving, territorial species than in active, highly mobile species (Bender et al 2021). A non-negligible effect could also be that trawling removes larger predators and may therefore allow smaller species and juveniles to increase their survival aas well as improve their biological condition (Dimarchopoulou et al 2018).…”