This wind farm off the coast of Sheringham, UK is frequented by harbour seals, some of whom who use it as an artificial reef. (Photo credit: Mike Page)
A new study shows that some harbour and grey seals are using man-made wind farms and undersea pipelines as foraging grounds. Seals were tagged with GPS tracking devices off the UK and Dutch coasts.
Scientists noted that a few seals – up to 30 per cent in some populations – foraged near offshore wind farms, including one that made striking grid-like movements, as though it was systematically checking out each turbine. Such structures may help seals by acting as artificial reefs and concentrating prey. However, it’s possible that in the long term the new patterns could make prey species more vulnerable to collapse.
Original research paper published in the journal Current Biology on July 21, 2014.
Names and affiliations of selected authors
