Celtic Sea Power needed regular, multi-taxa biodiversity data from across its offshore LiDAR buoy network, without adding time or disruption to short maintenance trips. With NatureMetrics’ eDNA kits, buoy crews collected samples during their routine visits. This produced fish and mammal data to inform its consenting strategy for offshore wind farm development.

Conventional biodiversity surveys took too much time and resource to run regularly across Celtic Sea Power’s offshore LiDAR buoy network during short maintenance trips. Celtic Sea Power needed a way to rapidly collect comprehensive biodiversity data across multiple taxonomic groups, on a regular basis, without disrupting key existing operations.

It also needed as much lead time as possible on species of concern and on any change at its sites, to inform its consenting strategy for offshore wind farm development. Celtic Sea Power also wanted to push innovation in offshore renewable biodiversity monitoring.

NatureMetrics simplified the process for buoy maintenance crews by providing easy-to-use eDNA sample collection and filtration kits for their regular buoy trips. The NatureMetrics team carried out all the laboratory analysis.

The fish and mammal data were presented to Celtic Sea Power in comprehensive reports for all teams involved. These reports highlighted key insights, including IUCN vulnerable species at its sites. They shared the biodiversity insights needed for decisions across the business, from site level up.

eDNA samples collected from the buoy sites gave Celtic Sea Power fish and mammal data across its planned offshore wind farm locations. The results included IUCN vulnerable species, fin whale and haddock. This flagged species of concern early in the development process. The results were shared across the business in comprehensive reports to support decision-making from site level up.

Celtic Sea Power now has a cost-effective, repeatable monitoring solution that fits into its existing operations. The project made monitoring more efficient and scalable, producing offshore biodiversity data for renewables development planning without disrupting buoy operations.

By banking DNA over time, the team can detect early shifts in species composition and ecosystem change at planned wind farm sites. This growing dataset gives valuable longer-term insights to inform strategic consent applications.

Celtic Sea Power plans to continue regular sampling at its buoy sites as the offshore biodiversity dataset grows over the coming years. Using NatureMetrics’ fish metric package on the Nature Intelligence Platform, the team is building one of the most comprehensive long-term offshore biodiversity records in the renewable energy sector.