Will they interfere with fishing?
Given the relatively small area of sea-bed that is required there is no evidence to suggest that total fish catch will decline as a result of wind farm developments; if anything the opposite is true. Fish stocks have been in decline for many years due to over-fishing.
Many environmental groups believe that wind-farms will provide welcome sanctuary for fish spawning as well as refuge from intensive fisheries activity. In addition as wind farms move further offshore the fishing grounds occupied by the farm will occupy a smaller portion of the total fishing area available to the larger deep water fisheries vessels that could theoretically fish in them.
In any event the wind industry is working actively with the fishing industry to ensure, as the oil and gas industry has done before them, that the fishing industry is not disadvantaged by the growth of offshore wind farms. Several offshore wind farm developers have also developed good relationships with local fishermen, and have employed them to help with the surveying of sites and the preparation of work for wind farm installation.
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