animals dispersing from sites, and are therefore not considered to indicate repeated connectivity between Natura 2000 sites and the East Anglia THREE site. As such, 300km was chosen as a suitable screening distance for connectivity.
95.
Following from this first distance- based screening detailed telemetry data from the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) and IMARES (in reports commissioned by EATL) and other published data have been used to further examine any connectivity between seals occurring in the East Anglia THREE site (with a 20km buffer) and those SACs within 300km of the proposed project.
96.
Figure 5.2 suggests that no harbour seal tagged in the UK entered the East Anglia THREE site, although the East Anglia THREE site is within foraging range of seals using the Wash and North Norfolk SAC, as well as at-sea designated sites in Dutch waters (e.g Klaverbank SCI). Figures 5.3 and 5.4 show tracks from seals tagged in Dutch waters. These show that seals in the vicinity of the East Anglia THREE site have used the Wash and North Norfolk SAC, as well as haul-out sites and at-sea areas of Dutch SCIs.
97. Data from seals tagged in UK and Dutch waters, suggest very limited dispersal or mixing between seals within the southern North Sea and seals using the English Channel. Tagging studies in French waters in 2006 and 2007 (Vincent et al. 2010) also suggest that no seals ranged from the waters of the English Channel beyond the Straits of Dover. Although this lack of movement by tagged animals between the southern North Sea and England Channel does not completely exclude mixing between these subpopulations, it does support the conclusion that there is little or no potential for connectivity between harbour seal using the East Anglia THREE site, and any Natura 2000 sites along the south of the English Channel and along the French coast, and is therefore indicative of no potential for LSE. As such these sites have been screened out as detailed in the last column of Table 5.4.
98.
Telemetry studies of harbour seal have also been completed in German and Danish waters and in the German Bight area of the North Sea (e.g. Tougard et al. 2008). These data support the screening out of sites beyond 300km from the East Anglia THREE site, as telemetry data suggest a lack of dispersal between German Bight and Danish waters, and seals using Dutch areas of the Wadden Sea, and locations around the Dutch / German border.
HRA High Level Screening May 2014
East Anglia THREE Offshore Windfarm Page 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67