Proposed Offshore Wind Area: Indian Ocean off Bunbury, Western Australia

Whether it is the sea we fish in, or the air we breathe, we all want to see a much cleaner and healthier environment. AFTA members may have differing opinions on the governments push towards Net Zero Emissions, but all are unified in opposition to Offshore Windfarms and the detrimental impacts on marine life, fishing, shipping, tourism, defence, and aviation. Issues such as area exclusion zones, noise generation and electromagnetic impulses that affect migration patterns of both fish, mammals and sea birds are not issues to be taken lightly.

The whale and dolphin watch tourism sector depend on a clean and unaffected marine environment free from all forms of pollution. That whales will be impacted by the noise and structures in clearly defined transit highways is of extreme concern. It is only in the past 30 years that we have seen a solid recovery of whale population transiting these seasonal migration highways and their survival should not be taken as a given.

Offshore windfarms are known to have detrimental impacts on marine life, including whales, dolphins, and seals and these are common in all proposed locations. The construction and operation of wind turbines creates noise pollution which can interfere with the communication and navigation abilities of whales and other marine mammals leading to changes in their behaviour and migration patterns potentially harming their population over time.

An article in the Daily Sentinel (2016) reported that near the world’s largest concentration of offshore wind farms in the North Sea and English Channel, researchers documented dozens of beached whales — and they are reaching alarming conclusions about the relationship between whale deaths and wind farms. They cite ample evidence that noise from the machines interferes with whale communication and navigation, sometimes with deadly results. In one month, 29 otherwise healthy sperm whales (an endangered species) were stranded and died on English, German and Dutch beaches.

The site selection for the proposed location could not have been a worse location. The site is in the middle of the north/south whale migration highway, it is an area that provides great access and productivity for both commercial and recreational fishers. The east and west coast whale population migration is through the proposed site locations.
By locating offshore windfarms in areas less frequented by whales and other marine life can reduce the negative impact on marine life. By working to minimise the impacts it can ensure that wind power is harnessed in a totally environmentally responsible way.

Offshore Windfarms affect the very sea birds, both domestic and migratory, that prey on bait schools attracted to the turbine structure to survive. A study by the Conservation Action Lab, UC Santa Cruz identified that seabirds are the most highly threatened group of birds. The potential impacts of offshore windfarms include displacement of birds from areas where they forage for food and direct mortality from collisions with wind turbine blades. Both displacement and mortality can have detrimental effects on the overall population of an affected species.

Noise Pollution: The construction and operation of offshore wind turbines generate anthropogenic noise that can affect marine life such as whales, dolphins, and seals that rely on sounds (echolocation & vocalisation) to communicate and for navigation. These sounds can interfere with marine mammals’ behaviours, as it alters their way of communicating, feeding, reproducing, and navigating the oceans. On some occasions, these changes can lead to injury or even death.

Habitat Loss: The installation of offshore wind turbines causes natural habitat destruction and displacement of some marine species. Whilst they will establish a new artificial reef system in themselves, this new reef system will impact on the natural migration patterns of pelagic species. This structure also presents an opportunity for invasive non-native species to establish and have a harmful environmental influence.

Standing at a height of 250 - 300m, these offshore windfarms will alter the scenic beauty of the coastline which will directly affect tourism, recreational activities and as a result local economies.The region is a very popular waterborne tourism destination and in that vein this wind farm will destroy that vista and reduce the tourism desire .

Any economic benefit to the local community will be overshadowed by the economic loss as a result of a downturn in fishing, both recreational and commercial, the negative impact on tourism and the environment damage.

Whether it is the commercial or recreational fishing sector, all will be impacted by the introduction of offshore windfarms. The sheer scale and resultant exclusion zones of windfarms across key fishing areas will severely impact on the viability of both sectors.
With the exclusion of fishing activity, both recreational and commercial in the affected areas by the offshore wind farms will have a triple bottom line effect. The economic, social and environmental consequences for the recreational fishermen, the and the commercial fishing industry, the coastal communities that depend on this sector, and society in general will be negatively impacted. In addition, the sounds, vibration, and the electromagnetic fields of the cables can impact on captures.
Besides taking away prime fishing grounds through exclusion zones, the wind turbine structures will become large scale full time floating artificial reef structures each creating a
whole new marine ecosystem system based around each wind turbine underwater structure. The number of structures planned will naturally draw baitfish and as a result draw target species away from permissible fishing areas. These will also compete with and overtake the benefits of any seasonal Fish Attraction Devices (FAD’s), they will alter the migration pattern of schooling baitfish which in turn will alter the pattern of the pelagic species that follow.

The coastline of the souther region of Western Australia is somewhat unique in having a regular wind pattern known as the Fremantle Doctor. This wind pattern is created by the local wind circulation, the sea breeze, that forms on summer days when the land becomes hotter than the nearby ocean. This sea breeze comes from the southwest, passing from Fremantle and onto Perth, bringing cooler air from off the ocean. It would be more sensible and less impacting on the environment to continue to establish wind towers along their area of coast on land. It is less disruptive to the marine environment and easier to maintain the towers.