A European shag seabird sits on a structure in front an offshore wind farm located in the Netherlands. Image: © Pavlo Glazkov/Stock.adobe.com
CETUS project manager Dr Tom Doyle discusses the importance of developing offshore wind infrastructure sustainably.
Ireland’s potential for utilising offshore wind power has been a common topic over the past few years.
With a maritime area roughly 10 times the size of its land area, Ireland’s offshore wind capabilities could be a major source of renewable energy with the proper infrastructure in place. In fact, Marine and Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI) researcher Aldert Otter previously wrote that Ireland’s total offshore wind resource is enough to “comfortably power the country’s electricity needs”.
But when it comes to developing offshore wind infrastructure, one key consideration is the effect of such an operation on the local marine wildlife. This is where the CETUS project comes in.
CETUS (which stands for cetacean, elasmobranch, turtle and seabird) is a marine project that is investigating how sensitive marine species such as sharks, seabirds and dolphins might interact with existing and planned offshore renewable energy infrastructure.
As project manager Dr Tom Doyle tells SiliconRepublic.com, the project is compiling existing datasets on the distribution and abundance of sensitive species to identify patterns and where data gaps exist. He says this will allow the researchers to both assess data quality and also identify which areas have limited or no data, “both important factors when considering future research and monitoring strategies”.
The researchers are also using electronic tags to compile further data on animal movements.
“CETUS is attaching electronic tags to seabirds to determine their foraging ranges, it is deploying acoustic listening devices in the Irish Sea to understand the seasonal movements of whales, and it is attaching satellite tags to threatened sharks and rays to learn more about their movements,” he says. “This research will provide unique insights on the movement ecology of many sensitive species in the western Irish and Celtic Seas where most of the offshore developments will occur.
Emma Murphy tagging a black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactlya) at Wicklow Head. Image: CETUS
“By combining the newly collected movement and acoustic data with the compiled datasets, CETUS will investigate the potential impacts of ORE [offshore renewable energy] on the distribution, movements and behaviour of marine megafauna, ultimately enabling the sustainable development of ORE.”
The project, which is funded by Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI), involves 11 researchers across two institutes – University College Cork and Inland Fisheries Ireland – with principal investigators including Doyle, Dr Mark Jessopp, Dr Emer Rogan and Dr Damien Haberlin.
Data and a tricky game of tag
Doyle, a marine biologist and senior lecturer in zoology at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at University College Cork, says that due to Ireland’s historically “exploitive” relationship with its sea and marine ecosystems, the sustainable development of ORE infrastructure is necessary.
“Today, as we witness the rapid growth of marine renewables across Europe, we need to make sure we do not repeat the mistakes of the past and develop this new industry sustainably,” he says. “We need to be able to make complex decisions about the location and scale of this infrastructure, how it is built, operated and ultimately, removed.
“Those decisions should and must be based on the best available data.”
He explains that even though Ireland already has important distribution and abundance data for many sensitive species, much of this information is not readily accessible because it is stored in personal databases or in archives across multiple institutes.
“Bringing as much of this data together will help the sector, government and our society make better decisions of the planning and location of offshore renewables.”
Charter skipper Kit Dunn holding a tagged tope shark off the Arklow wind farm. Image: CETUS
While this is no easy task, strides are being made to assemble the disparate datasets into a single database. In November 2022, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien, TD formed a Marine Protected Area Advisory Group – which involved three members of CETUS – to conduct a sensitivity analysis of the Irish Sea and to bring the existing data together, which culminated in a report in May 2023 that identified 40 species and habitats that would benefit from spatial protection.
According to Doyle, this process kick-started the compilation of key datasets across the country which will ultimately benefit the CETUS project.
Another challenge that Doyle identified is the process of capturing and electronically tagging enough animals to have a “robust dataset to infer population level patterns”.
“For example, the project set out to tag 60 sharks/rays with a variety of pop-off satellite tags and a further 40 sharks with acoustic tags. Prior to CETUS, only a handful of sharks and rays had been electronically tagged in the Irish and Celtic Seas,” he explains. “Thankfully, the CETUS team and our partner Inland Fisheries Ireland have a lot of experience in capturing and tagging fish.”
To date, the CETUS team has successfully tagged 72 animals – with assistance from the recreational angling community in Courtmacsherry and Wicklow – which Doyle says puts them on track to meet their target.
The long-term importance
As for the end goal, we asked Doyle what he sees as the long-term benefits of the CETUS project for Irish society, local coastal communities and the broader ecosystem.
“The major long-term benefit of CETUS for Irish society is that there will be improved decision making in the planning process for the location of offshore renewables with respect to the sensitive species we are working on (eg sharks and rays, seabirds and cetaceans).
“The project will also greatly increase ocean literacy in the study sites where we are working (Courtmacsherry in Co Cork, and Wicklow and Arklow towns in Co Wicklow). This improved ocean literacy will help the public understand offshore renewables and the potential interactions – negative and positive – with sensitive megafauna.”
This knowledge will be vital going forward as Ireland strives to meet renewable energy and climate targets, necessitating a degree of understanding for infrastructure requirements while being aware of the effects on our oceans and the life that flourishes within, especially as the climate crisis continues to threaten these ecosystems.
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