The main purpose of this sampling was to study the effects of the OWEZ windpark on the demersal fish community. Because before installation of the windfarm the main fisheries activity in the area was bottom trawling, it is expected that exclusion of fisheries in the wind farm has the largest effect on the demersal fish community. The wind farm and its safety zone could function as a refugium for these species. If the area functions as a refugium this could be the case for a large number of demersal fish species that occur in the Dutch coastal zone. Owing to this a positive effect of the wind farm on the demersal fish community was expected. The fisheries that occurred in the area targeted larger fish, therefore fisheries mortality was higher on the larger fish. By excluding fisheries in the farm it was expected to change the size distribution in the farm and by that the age distribution of the fish populations. A Hydrolab minisonde, attached to the net, was used for continuous CTD measurements.

Pelagic fish surveys for the Monitoring and Evaluation Programme of the OWEZ wind park

The main purpose of this sampling was to study the effects on fish near the monopiles in the OWEZ windpark. A multi-mesh gillnet is used, with six mesh sizes. Each mesh size forms a single panel of 6,7 meters in width. Every mesh-size panel occurs twice in each net, thus a complete net consists of 12 panels and has a length of about 80 meters.

Bivalves surveys for the Monitoring and Evaluation Programme of the OWEZ wind park

Hard substrate benthic communities at offshore wind park turbines poles