Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life
Several PrePARED researchers attended the Seventh International Conference on the “Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life” which was held in Prague between June 29th and July 4th 2025.
Paul Thompson (University of Aberdeen) presented key findings from the recent PrePARED Report 008 in a speed talk and poster, comparing construction monitoring outputs from the Moray West Offshore Wind Farm with predictions of noise levels and behavioural disturbance that had been used within earlier regulatory assessments.
Gordon Hastie (University of St Andrews) presented a talk on recent analyses which draw upon archive Moray Firth passive acoustic data to optimise the design of future monitoring studies. These simulations highlighted how sample sizes and spatial extent of array design can affect the ability of PAM studies to estimate behavioural response used to inform EIA.
Finally, Rachael Sinclair (SMRU Consulting) brought the conference to a close with a presentation that drew upon her experience supporting consent applications for numerous UK offshore wind projects. Building on the analyses she presented in PrePARED Report 007, she highlighted the need for clearer guidance on the approaches that developers should use within cumulative impact assessment.
Webinar Success
We were pleased to welcome key stakeholders from industry, SNCBs, government and consultancies to our webinar presented by Rachael Sinclair (SMRU Consulting) summarising Report 007 and answering audience questions.
A recording of the presentation will be available on the website soon, and those who registered for the event will be notified of this via email.
Fieldwork 2025
In July the final PrePARED survey took place!
Between the 23rd June – 8th July acoustic transects in the Firth of Forth and Moray Firth were completed.
Alongside these, the team measured fish across 6 species and recorded seabird numbers across 17 species.
We thank the scientific team at SG Marine Directorate, and the crew and captain of the Alba na Mara.
