In the Mediterranean, dolphins and birds will have to live with wind farms

Dolphins swim and jump and hundreds of cranes fly over the blue water as the sailboat “Thera i Luna” sails to meet the wildlife that in the future will coexist with dozens of wind farms in the Mediterranean Sea.

Every week “Thera i Luna”, the 13-metre-long sailboat of the French NGO “Les Peuples de la Mer” (The Sea Peoples) sets sail from Port Leucate, southeastern France, to fulfill its mission.

In the morning sun, following the wake of a fishing vessel flown over by a flock of birds, a dozen large dolphins swim. The cetaceans dare not approach the “Thera i Luna”.

On board, three experts take note of the wildlife of the area. “You have to be patient. They are going to get used to us and they are going to come” towards the ship, says Serge Briez, founder of the association, who is going to the helm.

His companions, the ornithologist Alexandre Hamon and Sonia Gara of the Breach cetacean protection association, approach the bow, with the binoculars and the camera in hand.

Passionate about the sea, they want to complete studies on the impact of wind farms on wildlife, a terrain they consider little explored, and hope that their findings will be taken into account.

- Observe and protect -

Large dolphins, which can weigh several hundred kilos and measure up to four meters, are rarely exhibited. But this time, fortune smiles on the sailors. The cetaceans are there and, finally, they end up approaching and fiddling around the hull.

In Leucate, a few kilometres from the Spanish border and at the northwestern tip of the Mediterranean, “the presence of the big dolphin was unknown until Breach began studies in the area in 2007,” says Sonia Gara.

“It's rare to be able to observe them like this for two hours,” celebrates Serge Briez, pointing out the “intelligence” of this unknown species.

On the horizon, the snow-capped peaks of the Eastern Pyrenees make up a postcard landscape.

Sonia Gara looks closely at marine mammals. “We identified individuals by their dorsal fin. This fin is unique. It is the equivalent of the digital footprint in humans”, which allows them to be recorded and their movements in the Mediterranean to be monitored.

After the wonderful encounter, the three navigators continue their work, cataloging other animals, including many birds, during ten hours of navigation.

Cranes, little penguins, puffins, tridactyl gulls... The ornithologist conscientiously enrolls them on his tablet to feed the naturalist portal Faune France.

The ship then reaches the “observation beacon”, the place where an experimental wind farm is to be installed next year, about 15 km from the coast.

- Real impact “unknown” -

As in two other pilot projects on the French Mediterranean coast, this will allow the completion of research and other research on the behaviour of animals in these places, previously unprecedented.

Sensors will allow for the first time to detect day and night the traffic of birds that can be damaged by the blades of the mills, explains Serge Briez, near the place where there will be giant floats on which the turbines will rest.

Without waiting for the outcome of these pilot projects, French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced two tenders to build two floating wind farms in the Mediterranean by 2030 that could supply electricity to one million people.

And this is despite the fact that in the public debate organized between July and October, several voices rose up to ask for a postponement.

“We're not opposed to offshore wind projects, but previous studies are weak or haven't been done,” Briez says.

Noting that the real impact on fauna “remains unknown”, he believes that “several years of research will still be needed” to correctly assess the consequences of its implementation.

The founder of the oenegé is concerned about “the accumulation of human activities such as fishing, leisure and now wind” which modify “the rest, silence and feeding areas” and “can cause the decline of a fragile species” such as the big dolphin.

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