MUMM – Page 14 – OD Nature News

Tuesday December 15th, 2020Tuesday December 15th, 2020

Wind farms as suppliers of energy and mussels

The cultivation of mussels in Belgian offshore wind farms is both biologically and technically feasible, according to research carried out by our scientists and their partners within the Edulis project. The economic feasibility depends on solving technical challenges.

After two years of experimentation and research, scientists and private companies present the results of the research project ‘Edulis: offshore mussel culture in wind farms‘, which looked at the possibilities for mussel farming in offshore wind farms 30 to 50 km off the Belgian coast. Edulis is a collaboration between Ghent University, the Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), RBINS/OD Nature and 5 private partners (Belwind, Brevisco, C-Power, Colruyt Group and DEME Group). The ambitious pilot project is largely financed by private funding and facilitated by Flemish and European funding.

Quality Mussels

The project has demonstrated that it is both biologically and technically possible to cultivate mussels in the Belgian offshore wind farms, which means that these can serve more than one purpose at a time. The experiments resulted in a tasty quality mussel that is well stocked and meets all food safety requirements. The yield is equivalent to that of hanging mussels from the Netherlands and Ireland, and the mussels grow faster than mussels from bottom cultivation (mussels ready for market in 15 months instead of 24 months).

Technical Challenges

The big challenge is designing installations that can withstand the sometimes extreme North Sea environment. Investing in robust, easy to maintain and safe systems, including vessels, is a must, according to the researchers, although this will push up overall production costs. In addition, it turned out that the sizing and organisation of the wind farms is not optimal for food production, which is logical as they were not designed for that purpose. The distance from the coast also poses a challenge to technical, practical and economic feasibility. When designing future wind farms, this should be taken into account in order to be able to combine both activities.

Economic Feasibility

“Edulis has given us a clear picture of the costs and benefits of mussel farming in the North Sea” says Margriet Drouillon, Senior Business Developer Aquaculture and Blue Life Sciences at Ghent University. “If we really want mussel farming on a commercial scale, we will have to put a lot of effort into developing knowledge about the economic feasibility of mussel farming in the wind farms. We will also explore other paths for multiple use of space at sea, with due attention to sustainable production”.

Three Additional Challenges for Aquaculture in the North Sea

Ghent University and the Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) launched the ‘North Sea Aquaculture’ project in 2017, with Edulis and Value@Sea as subsidiary projects. They joined forces with their partners RBINS/OD Nature, Belwind, Brevisco, C-Power, Colruyt Group, DEME Group, Lobster Fish, and Sioen Industries. North Sea Aquaculture tackled three challenges:

Innovative shellfish and seaweed farming techniques;
Efficient use of space in the Belgian North Sea;
The development of a market for new regional marine products.

More info on Edulis:
Margriet Drouillon, UGent, 0484 13 95 39, margriet.drouillon@ugent.be

Monday November 30th, 2020Monday November 30th, 2020

Public consultation ‘Marina Nieuwpoort’

Consortium Baggerwerken Decloedt en Zoon – DC Industrial has submitted an application for an environmental permit for the removal of material, dredged and released during the construction of a dock for the new marina of Nieuwpoort, in the Belgian part of the North Sea. This application is subject to an environmental impact assessment procedure.

The application, the environmental impact statement and a concept of the appropriate assessment can be consulted from 2 December to 31 December 2020 at the offices of MUMM at Brussels (Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels; mdevolder@naturalsciences.be; tel 02/627 43 52) or at Ostend (3de en 23ste Linieregimentsplein, 8400 Ostend; jhaelters@naturalsciences.be; tel. 059/24 20 55), by appointment only and during office hours between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm. The application can also be consulted at every coastal community, during office hours. The list of locations and contact persons of coastal communities can be found here. The consultation in the offices depends on the prevailing measures imposed by the government with regard to Covid-19.

The application is also available electronically:

Any interested party may submit its views, comments and objections to Ms Brigitte Lauwaert by letter or email until 15 January 2021 :

MUMM Attn. Ms. Brigitte Lauwaert
Vautierstraat 29
1000 Brussels
blauwaert@naturalsciences.be

Monday November 9th, 2020

New monitoring programme for Belgian marine waters

Following the assessment of the ecological state of Belgian marine waters in 2018, monitoring has now been adapted for the second six-year cycle of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The extension of the monitoring with a number of new partners and parameters will lead to a more complete understanding of the state of the Belgian marine area, and will help underpin a policy aimed at achieving and maintaining good environmental status.

The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) establishes a framework within which Member States document the state of their marine waters and take the necessary measures to achieve or maintain good environmental status. In this way, marine ecosystems throughout Europe are to be protected and, where necessary, restored.

DG Environment coordinates the implementation of the MSFD for Belgium. The Scientific Service Management Unit of the Mathematical Model of the North Sea MUMM (part of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences) is responsible for the coordination of the monitoring and the assessment of the state, and cooperates with 7 other institutes (ILVO, INBO, FASFC, AFCN-FANC, VLIZ, Continental Shelf Service- FPS Economy and Ghent University; see partners).

A total of 29 monitoring programmes describe measurements in the various compartments of the marine environment using a wide range of techniques (from sampling by divers, analyses in the laboratory to aerial censuses and satellite observations). They contribute to the 11 themes (the so-called “descriptive elements”) defined in the MSFD. Eutrophication, fisheries, chemical pollution, waste and biodiversity of species groups and habitats are only some of the aspects addressed.

The newly included programmes include observations of plankton by VLIZ, seabed waste by ILVO, macrobenthos (organisms living on the seabed and visible to the naked eye) in the wind farms by Ghent University and radionuclides by AFCN-FANC.

Together, the measurements will make it possible to evaluate the state of the marine environment in Belgium and, where necessary, to define action points for a favourable future evolution.

For more details, consult the monitoring programmes (NL – FR) and/or the 2018 assessment (NL – FR).

Thursday November 5th, 2020Thursday November 5th, 2020

Leatherback turtle caught and released

On the 28^th of October, the crew of the fishing vessel O190 Renilde experienced a shocking moment. Around 19:30 they encountered nothing less than a Leatherback turtle in their nets along the coast of Middelkerke/Ostend! The crew reacted quickly and was able to let the living animal return to the sea (see video © Kevin Van Thomme/crew O190).

Seventh Record

The Leatherback turtle typically inhabits open and warm seas, where they mainly feed on jellyfish. They don’t easily show up In coastal areas (unless to lay eggs, but that is excluded on our beaches). Jan Haelters of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences provides interpretation: “Leatherback turtles are very rare in the Belgian part of the North Sea: until now, only three strandings (1988, 1998 and 2000) and three sightings (2018 and 2 in 2019) were recorded. Although the list only counts seven specimens, an increase is noticeable in recent years.”

Also in the Netherlands

Remarkably, some Leatherback turtles were also seen in the Netherlands recently: one roamed the Eastern Scheldt from 22 to 24 September, while one swam along the North Sea coast of Scheveningen on 7 and 11 October. Comparison of the shape and size of the scars on the heads of the two animals, and of the ‘ribs’ on their back shields, shows that in Belgium and the Eastern Scheldt different individuals were involved. The Eastern Scheldt animal was washed ashore dead on 3 November near the Danish Ballum (article tvs).

Comparison of the Leatherback turtle heads from Belgium (right, © Kevin Van Thomme) and the Eastern Scheldt (left, © Wageningen Marine Research)

Friday October 23rd, 2020Sunday October 25th, 2020

A Reservoir Model for the Continental Shelf, it’s been done in Belgium

Spatial planning is a discipline mostly associated with onshore built-up areas, but if there is one region in the North Sea that requires a rigorous mapping of activities it is the Belgian offshore area. Nature conservation, shipping, fishing, sand extraction, energy production, cables and pipelines, military exercises, … are all competing for space in this little patch of sea.

Different stakeholders active on the Belgian Continental Shelf. The maps are based on information from MarineAtlas.be (2014-2020) and the location of the sand banks has been sourced from the TILES Report. Please note that one stakeholder has not been mapped here; the fishing industry, because of its presence throughout the entire Belgian offshore. (animation by Henk Kombrink, Editor Expronews)

The Norwegian Expronews linked the Belgian marine spatial planning nicely with some of the RBINS work in relation to the assessment of reserves of certain abiotic resources and their potential for exploitation in a summarizing article.

Special attention is attributed to

the state-of-the-art 3D resource model that describes the distribution and availability of all non-hydrocarbon geological resources in the Belgian and adjacent Dutch marine waters, and can also serve as a resource decision support system and to underpin long-term adaptive management strategies (TILES, Van Lacker et al. 2019, Hademenos et al. 2019)

the work of the Geological Survey of Belgium, explaining why there is no interest from the oil industry in the Belgian waters and why the Belgian offshore is highly unlikely to be a suitable area for sequestration of CO2 (dedicated article on expronews.com)

Geological map of the Brabant Massif onshore, extrapolated to offshore.

Wednesday October 21st, 2020Wednesday October 21st, 2020

First Belgian Flat Oyster Day, 24 November 2020

On Tuesday 24 November 2020, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Ghent University and the Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) jointly organise the first Belgian Flat Oyster Day.

The European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) is an iconic species that was once abundant throughout European seas. It formed extensive reefs harbouring diverse communities of marine organisms and was the target of a considerable fishery. Already by the end of the 19^th century, flat oyster populations in Europe have been drastically reduced due to overfishing, and disease outbreaks in the 20^th century gave the species a final blow. In Belgian waters, the species is now regarded as functionally extinct.

Recently, there has been an increasing interest to restore flat oyster populations in Europe, both from conservation and aquaculture points of view. In Belgium also, some initiatives on restoration and aquaculture of this important species are being started.

The Belgian Flat Oyster Day wants to address this increased attention and aims to bring together all relevant actors and interested parties in the Belgian flat oyster scene. By means of two keynote presentations, setting the scene of flat oyster restoration and aquaculture in Europe, and additional presentations on biosecurity and visions for flat oyster restoration and aquaculture in Belgium, the event starts with a broad perspective. Thereafter, a clear overview is presented of the ongoing initiatives concerning the flat oyster in Belgium, with regards to both restoration and aquaculture. The event will be concluded with an example of the Dutch Flat Oyster Consortium and a reflection on how the flat oyster scene can proceed in Belgium. You are kindly invited to have a closer look at the tentative programme, and register through the link below.

PROGRAMME

REGISTRATION

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the first Belgian Flat Oyster Day will be an online-only event (WebEx) on the morning of Tuesday 24 November 2020. The event will be conducted in English. Registration will be closed on Thursday 19 November at 17h.

We are looking forward to welcome you!

Belgian Flat Oyster Day organising committee

Annelies Declercq (Ghent University), Steven Degraer (RBINS), Daan Delbare (ILVO), Thomas Kerkhove (RBINS), Brigitte Lauwaert (RBINS) and Nancy Nevejan (Ghent University)

Wednesday September 9th, 2020Wednesday September 9th, 2020

Number of dead porpoises on North Sea coasts on the rise

A new study published in the leading scientific journal Biological Conservation reveals a striking increase in the number of stranded porpoises along the North Sea coast. Scientists from the various North Sea countries compiled their data for this purpose. This also provided insights into the distribution and mortality of the different age groups, but does not yet allow definitive statements to be made about the effects of different human activities.

Stranded harbour porpoise @Multimedia, Faculteit Diergeneeskunde, Universiteit Utrecht

An international study led by Utrecht University, in which RBINS participated, revealed that more than sixteen thousand dead porpoises have been registered on the North Sea coast since 1990. More than 1500 of these were washed ashore in Belgium. In the Netherlands, with its much longer coastline, the highest numbers washed ashore. The researchers discovered that since 2005 porpoise strandings have become remarkably more frequent in the southern North Sea, while the number of strandings in the more northerly parts of the North Sea hardly changed.

Valuable information through strandings

It is not easy to study porpoises at sea. Researcher and marine ecologist Mariel ten Doeschate, connected to the Scottish stranding network, says: “Research is being done into the numbers and distribution of live animals, but this can only be done in limited periods of time. Strandings, on the other hand, are recorded throughout the year, and have been for decades. We can also determine the sex and age of stranded animals”.

Although the increase in the number of strandings coincides with an increase in the number of sightings of live animals in this region, it cannot simply be concluded that the continuing sharp increase in the number of strandings is only due to the presence of a larger number of animals (where the mortality rate could have remained the same). Indeed, the number of animals at sea is much more difficult to determine accurately than the number of strandings, which means that the two sets of data are not directly comparable and that the strandings are therefore supposed to better reflect what is happening in the population.

Impact of human activity

There is uncertainty about the possible effects of human activities on the numbers and distribution of porpoises. A potentially important factor is a changing climate, with changes in the food situation. Research programmes are also being carried out into the impact of the construction of offshore wind farms. It is important that data collected in countries around the North Sea is pooled: this has never happened before. Researcher Lonneke IJsseldijk (Utrecht University): “Our study has provided new and valuable insights and is a first step in improving our knowledge about the distribution of different age groups, seasonal and age-specific mortality among porpoises in the North Sea. Among other things, the study showed that more newborn animals stranded on German and Danish coasts, while in the Netherlands, Belgium and southern England it was mostly young males.

Research following this study will analyse additional information, including on health and disease.

This research is a collaboration between the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University, the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme, the Department of Bioscience of Aarhus University, the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, the Cetacean Atlas of Denmark, the Globe Institute, the Natural History Museum of Denmark en the Fisheries and Maritime Museum Denmark.

Friday August 21st, 2020

Public consultation ‘Telecommunication cable MERCATOR’

BT Global Services Belgium BV has submitted an application for the authorization for the laying and an environmental permit for the exploitation of the telecommunication cable MERCATOR between Broadstairs – Joss Bay in the south east of England and the beach of Ostend (west of the harbour). This application is subject to an environmental impact assessment procedure.

The application (in Dutch), the environmental impact statement (in Dutch, including a concept of the appropriate assessment) and the non-technical summary (in English) can be consulted from 23 August to 21 September 2020 at the offices of MUMM at Brussels (Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels; mdevolder@naturalsciences.be; tel 02/627 43 52) or at Ostend (3de en 23ste Linieregimentsplein, 8400 Ostend; jhaelters@naturalsciences.be; tel. 059/24 20 55), by appointment only and during office hours between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, and depending on the prevailing measures imposed by the government with regard to Covid-19. The application can also be consulted at every coastal community, during office hours. The list of locations and corresponding contact details can be found here: Coastal_Communities_2020.

The application is also available electronically:

Any interested party may submit its views, comments and objections to Ms Brigitte Lauwaert by letter or email until 6 October 2020:

MUMM Attn. Ms. Brigitte Lauwaert

Vautierstraat 29, 1000 Brussels

blauwaert@naturalsciences.be

Sunday August 16th, 2020Monday August 17th, 2020

Impressive Noctiluca (Sea Sparkle) bloom in the North Sea

On 15 August, striking orange spots and strings were observed in the Belgian part of the North Sea near the Buitenratel sandbank, that were reported to the Coast Guard as a possible pollution. After inspection by various services, it became clear that this was an unseen bloom of the single-celled plankton species ‘Sea Sparkle’. The warm and calm weather of the past few days is probably an important explanatory factor. The rotting mass could possibly lead to oxygen deficiency and fish mortality. It is also possible that the remains will be washed ashore on Belgian beaches during the next week.

Noctiluca bloom Buitenratel sandbank, 15 August 2020, documented from surveillance aircraft RBINS (© RBINS/MUMM)

In the morning of Saturday 15 August, the Belgian Coastguard Centre (MRCC – Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre) received a report of a striking orange patch at sea, containing some dead birds. A sailor had noticed this at the ‘Buitenratel’ sandbank, one of the sandbanks in the ‘Vlaamse Banken’ complex. This sandbank is situated about 16 to 20 km from the shore of the Belgian West Coast, near the border with the French waters. The striking report raised eyebrows at the Coast Guard, because the reported colour did not match the typical colours of mineral oil, and because the dead birds may have hinted to a chemical product. However, an extensive natural algal bloom was also a possibility.

Control on Land, at Sea and in the Air

Following the report, the Shipping Police sent a patrol vessel to the Buitenratel. They found the reported patch and took some samples. Dead birds were no longer spotted. A rescue helicopter from the Coxyde air base also flew over the area, and the surveillance aircraft of the RBINS (MUMM, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences) was called upon to scan the wider sea areas off the Belgian coast for any further pollution. Both aircraft made images of the orangeish, kilometre-long patches and streaks.

Noctiluca bloom Buitenratel sandbank, 15 August 2020, documented from NH90 helicopter (© Geronimo/Rodrigo Vissers)

All the sailing and flying units involved came to the same conclusion: the patch probably indicated a large natural bloom, albeit on a very large scale. The sample taken by the Shipping Police was taken to the RBINS biological laboratories in Ostend where it could soon be confirmed that it was indeed a Noctiluca bloom.

Video: 2020_08_15 Noctiluca Buitenratel (c) Geronimo_Rodrigo Vissers NL

Sea Sparkle

The dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans or Sea Sparkle is a relatively large single-celled micro-algae (0.5 – 1 mm, so visible to the naked eye) that occurs in most seas of the world and belongs to the plankton. It looks like a gelatinous pellet with a tail (flagel), which catches food. In high concentrations – called blooms – Noctiluca forms highly visible orange-red spots that can occur in spring and summer. In case of turbulence, Sea Sparkle produces a bluish light that creates fairytale effects in the dark (‘lighting up’ of the sea). This bioluminescence is caused by luciferin, a pigment, and luciferase, an enzyme, when they come into contact with oxygen.

Samples of Noctiluca scintillans bloom at the Buitenratel sandbank, 15 August 2020, sample taken by Shipping Police (© RBINS/Francis Kerckhof)

Microscopic image of Noctiluca scintillans bloom at the Buitenratel sandbank, 15 August 2020, sample taken by Shipping Police (© RBINS/Francis Kerckhof)

Current Conditions

The high concentrations of Sea Sparkle that have now been observed are probably due to the very warm and calm weather of the past few days. The sampled Noctiluca was also already partly rotting, a process that consumes oxygen. Although it is essentially a harmless organism, mass extinction and rotting can locally lead to oxygen deficiency. At higher temperatures, less oxygen dissolves in water anyway, and the absence of strong winds and waves means that there was also little mixing that brought extra oxygen into the water. The resulting low oxygen tension due to the various phenomena can lead to the death of fish and other aquatic organisms, although under normal circumstances this is very unlikely in open sea conditions.

Modelling simulations by the RBINS, taking into account currents, meteorological conditions and the physical properties of the floating Noctiluca spots, illustrate that the remains of these spots could potentially wash ashore on Belgian beaches in the course of the next week.

In recent decades there has been a relative increase in the dinoflagellate community in the Belgian part of the North Sea. This increase could be related to the warming of the sea water (+ 1.6 ° C over the last thirty years). Noctiluca scintillans may also show an upward trend. In addition, blooms from other single-celled plankton organisms can also be expected, including some potentially dangerous species.

Category: MUMM