Environment Porpoises

For the first time, a study examines the behavior of porpoises when driving piles for offshore wind farms in the North Sea. The study shows that despite the constant increase in foundation work, the harbor porpoise population remains constant. There was even one in two zones
Increase in population over the course of the project.

In 2014 the OFW - together with several companies from the field of offshore wind energy - commissioned three research companies (BioConsult SH, IBL Umweltplanung and IfAÖ) to investigate the effects of pile driving. The researchers examined the number of harbor porpoises in seven projects that were built during that time. The population figures determined by means of C-POD and aerial photographs served as the basis for the analyzes. For this purpose, a large amount of data from individual wind farm projects in the German Bight was used
summarized in a common database.

The results show that during pile driving, the animals tend to avoid the area for a short time. This reaction was observed during all piling work over a distance of up to 17 kilometers. However, after the work was completed, the animals returned to the area.