RES BIMEP

Context

BiMEP is an infrastructure designed to test offshore marine energy prototypes, located off the coast of Armintza and operational since 2015. Initially, the project did not require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), but interest in the development of offshore wind energy led to new environmental studies being carried out in 2016 and 2018 to assess its impact, particularly due to its location within a Special Protection Area for Birds. Finally, in 2018, BiMEP obtained a favourable Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which enabled it to operate with environmental guarantees.

One of the expected effects of BiMEP is its positive impact on fish and crustacean species due to the restriction of fishing activity within its area of operation, similar to a marine reserve. Previous studies have shown that these spaces can increase the biomass and abundance of certain species, although not equally for all of them. In addition, the presence of structures in BiMEP may act as a fish aggregating device (FAD), temporarily concentrating commercially important species in the area. After almost a decade of operation, these effects are expected to have benefited biodiversity and local fisheries, contributing to the sustainability of the marine ecosystem.

Objectives

The main objective of the project is to assess the potential reserve effect generated by BiMEP on fish and crustacean communities located within its occupied area, as well as in areas close to the infrastructure.

The following operational objectives are proposed:

• State of the art: to contextualise the reserve effect of areas closed to fishing activity through a systematic literature review.
• Design and implementation of field campaigns required to collect data enabling the assessment of the potential reserve effect on certain fish and crustacean species inside and outside BiMEP.
• Analysis of fishing activity in the surroundings of BiMEP.
• Drafting of the final results report.

Funding