A study conducted by researchers from Murdoch University in Australia and Dalian Ocean University in China has found that offshore windfarms can improve marine ecosystems and diversify aquatic food chains.
Several species of fish were also more abundant and had more than two times the biomass in the windfarm area.
The findings of this study suggest that aquatic ecosystems could benefit from the construction of offshore windfarms and propose a multi-pronged approach to diversifying aquatic life, generating electricity and transitioning to clean energy.
Dr James Tweedley from Murdoch University’s Harry Butler Institute said the impact on fish and other aquatic life was, in large part, due to the rough surfaces of turbine monopiles providing a surface for sessile organisms – unmoving creatures such as barnacles and oysters – to thrive.
The study compared data from a Chinese Offshore Wind Farm in the northern Yellow Sea with a control area without turbines around 6km east across 2023 and 2024. During this time, the windfarm area had enhanced detrital flow, higher maturity, and overall, greater ecosystem stability.
While geographically different, China and Australia’s oceans are linked by shared currents and climate patterns, creating similar conditions and climate challenges. Murdoch University Emeritus Professor Neil Loneragan, one of WA’s leading fish and marine experts, said these findings provided a foundation for understanding how offshore wind farms interact with and influence ecosystem energy dynamics and fishery resources in coastal waters.