operating practices and degrees of adaptability, potential impacts have been evaluated for each of the fishing categories considered in the baseline description.
192. Due to data limitations it is beyond the scope of this assessment to assess impacts at the level of individual vessels. It is however recognised that the levels of fishing activity within the proposed East Anglia THREE project will vary between individual vessels.
14.6.1.2.1Dutch Fishing Vessels 193. As described Appendix 14.1, the highest landings values are recorded by Dutch registered beam trawlers targeting sole and plaice. Dutch vessels also operate demersal otter trawls, seine nets, static nets and pelagic trawls in the vicinity of the proposed East Anglia THREE project. Due to the absence of any historic rights in UK territorial waters, Dutch vessels can only target grounds outside of the UK’s 12nm limit (Figure 14.2). As a result, grounds to the west of the East Anglia Zone (i.e. the inshore cable analysis area) are not targeted by Dutch owned and operated vessels (Figure 14.4 and Figure 17.17). Therefore, the impact of temporary loss or restricted access to fishing grounds is considered for the East Anglia THREE site and the offshore cable analysis area only.
Beam Trawling for Demersal Species
194. As previously stated, it is understood that there are between 30 and 35 vessels which target the general area of the proposed East Anglia THREE project with the greater proportion of activity being from vessels whose home ports are Texel and Den Helder. The majority of these vessels are between 40m and 42m in length, have main engines of up to 2000hp and for the most part deploy Pulse Wing gears. Due to their size and power, vessels of this class have wide potential operational ranges. The EU derogation for Pulse Wing gears however, only permits use in the Southern North Sea. Whilst Pulse Wing gear offers advantages relating to species selectivity and fuel efficiency, vessels which utilise it have more limited operational ranges than vessels using traditional beam trawl gears or Sum Wing trawls.
195. On the basis of the extent of the spatial restrictions outlined above and the versatility of the method, the sensitivity of the Dutch beam trawling fleet as a whole is considered to be low. For those vessels which operate Pulse Wing gears and have an established history of fishing within the areas of the proposed East Anglia THREE project, the sensitivity of these receptors is ascribed as medium.
196. The highest intensity of Dutch beam trawling activity is recorded along the coasts of the Netherlands and Belgium (Figure 14.12). Analysis of surveillance sightings and
Preliminary Environmental Information May 2014
East Anglia THREE Offshore Windfarm
Chapter 14 Commercial Fisheries Page 78
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