Aggregation, production and spillover: the cumulative impact of man-made structures on fish.

聚集、生产和溢出：人造结构对鱼类的累积影响。

• 批准号: NE/T010770/1
• 负责人: Douglas Speirs
• 金额: $ 25.28万
• 依托单位: University of Strathclyde
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FT010770%2F1
• 关键词: Aggregation; production; spillover; cumulative; impact

In the latter half of the 20th century, over 1300 man-made structures (MMS) were installed in the offshore marine environment of the North Sea for the oil and gas industry, and many others are now being installed to obtain offshore renewable energy. There is mounting evidence for the ecological benefits of such structures, not least for marine fish. In the United States of America, MMS (particularly oil rigs) are used as reefs to successfully enhance fisheries in the so-called, Rig to Reefs programme. In Europe the opposite occurs: international regulations governing the North Sea (i.e. OSPAR Decision 98/3) require the complete removal of disused offshore installations. In the North Sea it is well known that fish aggregate at MMS and oil and gas MMS have 500 m fishery exclusion zones. So the structures act as small marine protected areas. At this scale, the total area protected is very small relative to the area occupied by commercial fish stocks in the North Sea. However, there is also evidence that aggregations of fish extend well beyond the exclusion zone, which is either a result of aggregation towards the MMS or enhanced productivity and protection resulting in fish spilling over into the adjacent area. The "spillover effect" is a well-known benefit of marine protected areas but has not been studied in relation to MMS in the North Sea. If this spillover is significant, then the area influence of MMS could be greater than hitherto assumed.Here, we use an unmanned surface vehicle equipped with state of the art high resolution acoustic surveying techniques to evaluate the scale of aggregation and spillover effect of fish from North Sea MMS. Data from the surveys are used to parameterise a high spatial resolution model of fish dynamics and movements which we will use test hypotheses about the whole North Sea scale effects of networks of structures, including the extent to which they arise from enhanced productivity or the protection from fishing afforded by proximity to hard substrate, and the North Sea scale consequences of their removal.. Our results will be used by oil and gas operators in the North Sea, one of which is a partner in our project, to inform their cumulative impact assessments. This will provide evidence for derogating removal, which as stated by the CEO of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, in a parliamentary committee, could result in "a triple win", with "...substantial savings to the taxpayer and substantial savings to the operator. There could be a net positive effect on the environment in the retention of these sometimes highly biodiverse areas around rigs and other structures."

在20世纪下半叶，在北海的海上海洋环境中安装了1300多个人造建筑物（MMS），用于石油和天然气行业，现在正在安装许多其他人，以获得可再生能源。有越来越多的证据证明了这种结构的生态益处，尤其是海鱼。在美利坚合众国，MMS（尤其是石油钻机）被用作珊瑚礁，以成功地增强礁石计划中的渔业。在欧洲相反的情况是：管理北海的国际法规（即OSPAR决定98/3）要求完全删除废弃的离岸设施。在北海，众所周知，在MMS和油气MMS的鱼骨料中有500 M渔业排除区。因此，结构充当了小型海洋保护区。在此规模上，相对于北海商业鱼类库存所占据的面积，受保护的总面积非常小。但是，也有证据表明，鱼的聚集远远超出了排除区，这要么是朝向MMS聚集的结果，要么是提高生产力和保护性，导致鱼类溢出到相邻区域。 “溢出效应”是海洋保护区的众所周知的好处，但尚未与北海的MMS进行研究。如果这种溢出意义很大，那么MM的面积影响可能大于迄今为止。调查中的数据用于参数为鱼动力和运动的高空间分辨率模型参数，我们将使用有关结构网络网络的整个北海尺度效应的测试假设，包括生产力增强或因捕捞而产生的范围的程度，从附近提供的捕捞来捕捞到硬质底物和北海的居住者，我们的北海量表是我们的北海量表。项目，以告知其累积影响评估。这将为苏格兰野生动植物信托基金会首席执行官所说的那样，这将提供贬低的证据，在议会委员会中，这可能会导致“三重胜利”，并以“……为纳税人节省大量资金，并为运营商节省大量的节省。对运营商的净积极影响。在这些高度生物生物围绕这些领域的高度生物范围内可能会产生净积极影响。