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PETROMAKS2-Stort program petroleum

Realistic assessment of the effects of anthropogenic offshore activity on the habitats of a keystone ecological and commercial fish species

Alternative title: Realistisk vurdering av effektene av menneskelig aktivitet til havs på habitatene til en nøkkelart innen økologi og kommersielt fiskeri

Awarded: NOK 0

Project Number:

352755

Project Period:

2024 - 2027

Location:

The ecosystems and areas in the ocean are under increasing pressure due to high petroleum production and new projects in offshore wind and carbon capture. The combined pollution effects of this expansion, along with the heightened risk of oil spills and the impacts of climate change, are worsening conditions for marine life. While scientific studies are enhancing our understanding of the environmental impacts of these industries, inefficient data and information flow into operational management tools hinder effective and accurate sustainable spatial planning. Sandeel is a key species in the North Sea and coastal ecosystems, feeding on zooplankton and serving as a crucial food source for seabirds, fish, and marine mammals. Adult sandeels are site-specific, residing in areas with coarse sand and gravel where they burrow for extended periods. They hunt plankton in the water column during spring and summer, and spawn in the same areas in midwinter. In the Norwegian zone of the North Sea, these habitats are designated as particularly valuable and vulnerable to provide additional protection for this key species. Sandeel larvae, however, drift with ocean currents after hatching in the spring and spread over large areas. Their survival depends on current patterns, larval swimming behavior, and food availability. The survival rate of larvae is crucial for the productivity of ecosystems in the North Sea and along the Norwegian coast. Industrial activity and pollution can disrupt the drift patterns and survival of sandeel larvae. The KnowSandeel project aims to develop an operational larval drift model that incorporates new scientific knowledge about larval behavior and vulnerability to oil spills and industrial activity. This tool will enhance the integration of scientific insights into drift models, contributing to more efficient and precise risk assessments for planning new industrial activities in marine ecosystems.

Marine ecosystems are under increasing pressure from expanding energy production, including offshore petroleum, wind, and carbon capture projects. This expansion leads to cumulative pollution and a higher risk of oil spills, exacerbating the impact on the marine environment. Climate change further compounds these challenges. The lack of dynamic data pipelines hampers the integration of scientific findings into spatial planning tools for eco- sustainable development in the offshore energy industry. Knowledge gaps about vulnerable early-life stages of key fish species, like the lesser sandeel, hinder effective regulation in the North Sea and Norwegian coast industries. The lesser sandeel plays a crucial role in marine food webs, connecting plankton to top predators. Despite protective measures for adult sandeel, knowledge gaps persist regarding larval dispersal, recruitment dynamics, and responses to stressors from the petroleum industry. The survival of sandeel larvae depends on behavioral patterns, and anthropogenic stressors can impact behavior, affecting individual survival and larval drift pathways. Existing risk assessment models in Norway consider fish eggs and larvae dispersion but lack species-specific knowledge on larval drift patterns and vulnerability to stressors. The KnowSandeel project aims to address these gaps by enhancing risk assessment models by including realism-based larval drift model and empirical sensitive data in addition to develop an operational larval drift forecast tool specifically for sandeel. The project contributes to more precise and sustainable decisions in spatial planning and industrial development in marine environments. Overall, KnowSandeel seeks to promote the coexistence of ecological sustainability and industrial development in offshore activities.

Funding scheme:

PETROMAKS2-Stort program petroleum