Electromagnetic fields and diadromous fish spawning migration: An urgent call for knowledge

Abstract

Diadromous fish species are characterised by spawning migrations between freshwater and marine environments, where they traverse through estuaries and close to coasts. This species group has declined substantially over the past decades due to anthropogenic effects such as habitat fragmentation and loss and overfishing. A rising potential threat to their population recovery is the increasing installation of subsea power cables (SPCs) which generate electromagnetic fields (EMF) as they transport energy from offshore wind farms to land. At least a part of the diadromous species are able to detect EMF, yet it is currently unknown whether EMF by SPCs affect their spawning migrations. With the increasing demand to offshore wind energy production and consequently the establishment of SPCs, the interaction between these SPCs and migrating diadromous fish species will rise in the near future. Consequently, there is an urgent need for knowledge on the impact of SPC-induced EMF on diadromous fish spawning migrations. Such knowledge can be obtained through a combination of lab and in situ experiments. International policy guidelines on the practicalities of deploying SPCs need to be established, taking into account the most up-to-date knowledge on the effect of SPC-induced EMF on diadromous fish spawning migrations.