Dutch marine contractor Van Oord will work with renewables firm Green Giraffe and Investri Offshore to develop oyster reefs at offshore wind-power locations.
Eight oyster reefs will be installed at the Borssele Wind Farm Site V, located 20km off the coast of the Netherlands.
Oyster reefs filter seawater and provide food and shelter for fish. Previously a fifth of the Dutch North Sea was covered with oyster beds, and these have been destroyed by overfishing, habitat destruction and disease.
The installation will be used to gain knowledge on best practices for oyster reef development, testing outplacement methods and placing structures in various ways, such as contained, loose and pre-settled.
Additionally, the research team will test which European flat oyster life stage is most effective: for instance, adult oysters or juvenile oysters, or a combination of both.
Image courtesy of Van Oord
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