The results of a wind-industry-funded study were published last month and researchers found no significant negative effects on fish or fisheries during their seven year study. The Block Island wind farm began operation in December of 2016, the study began in 2012 and concluded in 2019, spanning the time before construction, during construction and during operation. The team conducted monthly trawls which caught mostly groundfish and invertebrates like scup, squid, skates and butterfish. The affects they have documented have been mostly positive, there have been more black sea bass and cod in the area since the turbines were erected—probably due to the structure they provide. The date collected was compared with data from trawls conducted in similar areas, but without wind turbines, again, the only noticeable difference was more fish.
This is encouraging news for advocates of wind energy, but scientists admit that the Block Island wind farm is small, consisting of five turbines a half-mile apart, and the data and effects may not be indicative of what might be observed if there were 50 or 100 turbines spanning a much larger area. Future projects propose spacing the towers at one nautical mile. Scientists also accept the fact that fish stocks tend to fluctuate naturally, and it is possible—although not likely—that their study just happened to coincide with a cyclical high point in the observed fisheries.
The Block Island wind farm was intended as a small feasibility study to test if wind energy was a good fit for the East Coast. The results of the survey have been roughly in line with other studies conducted in Europe. If all goes according to plan, hundreds of turbines will join Block Island five, all over the Eastern Seaboard.
