Botteldooren, D.

Debusschere, E.

Degraer, S.

Hillewaert, H.

Hostens, K.

Vandendriessche, S.

Vincx, M.

Open Marine Archive

FIELD EXPERIMENTS 
= real situation @40m from piling source 
A strike every 1,5 second 
Low frequency strong impulse noise 
30 larvae/vial 
1 complete piling event 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LAB EXPERIMENTS  
= simulate pile-driving 
3000 Volt is discharged every second 
Low frequency strong impulse noise 
30 larvae/vial 
30 min exposure 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The impact of pile-driving on seabass eggs and larvae 
Elisabeth Debusschere¹,3, Hans Hillewaert1, Sofie Vandendriessche¹, Kris Hostens¹, Magda Vincx3, Dick Botteldooren4 and 
Steven Degraer²,³ 
1 Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences, Biological Environmental Research 
² Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Management Unit of North Sea Mathematical Models (MUMM) 
³University of Ghent, Biology Department, Marine Biology Section 
4 University of Ghent, Department of Information Technologie, Research Group Acoustics 
 
  
Management Unit of the North Sea  
Mathematical Models, Belgium 
OFFNOISE PROJECT 
 *elisabeth.debusschere@ugent.be, Ghent University, Marine Biology Research Group, Krijgslaan 281 Sterre S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium 
This study is financed by the Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT) 
Offshore wind farm  
 Reference noise  ~90-100 decibels (re 1 µPa) 
      low frequency underwater noise 
 Construction phase ~186 decibels (re 1 µPa @ 750 m zero to peak sound pressure level) 
      strong impulse low frequency underwater noise 
Potential impact on marine wild life 
  Barotrauma, auditory injury, mortality, disturbance of natural behaviour, stress 
  Great gaps + extrapolation is difficult 
    Need  to examine fish eggs and larvae 
MSFD 11th Descriptor to achieve a Good Environmental Status (GES) 
  In Belgium the interim criterion based on the precautionary principle states that “the level of anthropogenic impulsive sound  
  sources is less than 185 dB (re 1 μPa @750 m zero to peak sound pressure level)”   More research is needed 
Aim to assess the acute and chronic effects of short-term exposure of construction noise on eggs and larvae of European seabass  
Impact on survival, development, fitness and stress 
 
WORST CASE SCENARIO PILE-DRIVING EXPERIMENTS ON PILE-DRIVING 
©Karl Van Ginderdeuren ©Karl Van Ginderdeuren 
Pile-driving of monopiles at Bligh bank @ 500 m  ©Hans Hillewaert 
European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax )    
       
SIG sparker-electrode 
 
Construction of monopiles at Lodewijkbank (07/2013) 


The impact of pile-driving on seabass eggs and larvae

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