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New Outputs! Peer-reviewed paper Site and species dependent effects of offshore wind farms on fish populations (Anthony W.J.Bicknell, Samuel Gierhart, Matthew J. Witt) This peer-reviewed paper is an output from Task 3.2 You can read the paper here Peer-reviewed paper The role of acoustic telemetry to assess the effects of offshore wind infrastructure on fish […]
2024 Recap This year, the PrePARED project has delivered a number of reports and output summaries with many more coming soon in 2025! Following the PrePARED Annual Knowledge Exchange Meeting (AKEM) in February, the team created Report 3. This report summarises project results from 2022 and 2023, how these can or will be used, the
NEW: Output Summary 5 Colleagues from University of St Andrews and SMRUc have prepared an informative output summary describing current work being undertaken to measure the energetic content of prey around offshore wind farms. New data on energetic content will allow better understanding on prey quality around offshore wind farms and, therefore, the potential value
Conferences North-East Scotland Ecology Network (NESEN) Phil Bouchet (BioSS) attended the NESEN Annual Science Day in Aberdeen on 8th October, and presented a poster on “Quantifying the effects of offshore wind development on seabird-prey dynamics”. BOU Birds and Net Zero conference Several members of the PrePARED team attended the BOU autumn conference in York on
Data Analyses The team are now working on analysing data collected during summer fieldwork including: Engagement ICES Annual Science Conference The ICES ASC conference was held in Gateshead, UK from the 9-12th September. Several members of the PrePARED team attended and presented at the conference including Tony Bicknell (University of Exeter), Aude Benhemma-Le Gall (University
New Report The University of Aberdeen have released a new report on harbour porpoise responses to the installation of XXL monopiles without noise abatement. This report follows discussions from the PrePARED Annual Knowledge Exchange Meeting (AKEM) on how PrePARED data can be used by different regions. Alongside the report, we have created a 2-page report
Survey Updates The Marine Directorate team successfully completed their survey work for Task 1.1 in the Firth of Forth as per figure 1, with seabird at sea surveys undertaken along acoustic transect lines. Undertaking seabird at sea surveys during acoustic transects provides predator (seabird) and prey (fish) contemporaneous data to be used in future modelling.
Summer Surveys Our fish and seabird survey in the Firth of Forth is going well having completed 6 out of 7 acoustic transects passing through the active OWF at Seagreen and NnG and the future sites at Berwick Bank and Inch Cape. The team swapped their pelagic net for a demersal net in Leith and
The month of April brings new opportunities and challenges for the Predators and Prey Around Renewable Energy Developments (PrePARED) project as we continue our important work to study the impacts of renewable energy developments on marine life. Throughout April, our dedicated team focused on conducting field research, collecting data, and analysing the effects of renewable
PrePARED Outputs The University of Aberdeen have released two PrePARED reports as part of Task 4.1 and Task 4.2 – read more about these Tasks here. The reports have been delivered with 1-2 page report summaries in an effort to aid dissemination. You can find the reports and report summaries on our webpage here. Annual
Annual Knowledge Exchange Meeting (AKEM) This month the PrePARED Team hosted our second AKEM at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh. The AKEM hosted ~100 key stakeholders to provide research updates and facilitate discussion around transferability of outputs, the impact of external factors such as the marine heatwave and avian flu, and the planning and consenting of
The PrePARED Team enjoyed a short break over the winter period and are now looking forward to more data collection and collation of findings in 2024. Annual Knowledge Exchange Meeting 2024 During January the team have been focussing on preparations for our upcoming Annual Knowledge Exchange Meeting taking place on 27 February 2024 at Dynamic
Conferences This month, colleagues from BioSS presented PrePARED work at the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS) Annual Science Meeting in Glasgow. Dr Katherine Whyte presented on ‘Understanding predator-prey interactions from seabird movements’ and Dr Esther Jones presented on ‘Predator-prey dynamics in a changing marine environment. Sandeel Survey During December, Dr Thomas
ECOWIND & OWEC Annual Impact Meeting PrePARED partners attended the ECOWIND & OWEC Annual Impact Meeting from 21-23rd November 2023. . Day 1 allowed PrePARED to investigate collaboration opportunities with other offshore wind projects and raise awareness of current research highlights and findings. Day 2 and 3 provided an opportunity to meet with key stakeholders
Project Updates Project Manager This month I was pleased to undertake my first offshore survey work in the North Sea on the MRV Scotia. Despite poor weather conditions, spirits remained high and the survey was an overall success! For those undertaking an extended offshore trip for the first time, I have listed my top 5
September Conference Attendance This month, PrePARED project members attended a number of conferences and workshops to inform stakeholders on project activities. Oihane Fernandez-Betelu (University of Aberdeen) attended and presented at the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) Annual Science Conference in Bilbao, Spain Katherine Whyte (BioSS) and Christopher Pollock (UKCEH) presented PrePARED
Summer Surveys Following on from our successful June/July survey work, the following surveys were conducted this month: In the Firth of Forth, successful Baited Remote Underwater Video and fish trap surveys were conducted to support Task 1.2 on how fine-scale fish communities change in relation to offshore wind farm development. In addition to the above,
Summer Surveys This summer PrePARED have conducted several successful summer surveys. These include; Quarter 2: General Updates Project Manager
Welcome to the PrePARED blog! My name is Lauren Donachie, and I was recently appointed as the PrePARED Project Manager with the Scottish Government Marine Directorate. I will be updating this page throughout the year with project updates, scientific highlights, and day to day life as PrePARED project manager until project completion in 2026. Check
