Potential for Animals to be Injured by Turbines: Collision Risk
The presence of marine renewable energy (MRE) devices—particularly the rotating blades of tidal and river turbines—is thought to pose a risk to marine animals. Animals might come into close contact with turbine blades in the course of their natural movements, because they are attracted to the device for purposes of feeding, shelter, or out of curiosity, or because they are not strong enough to avoid currents that might sweep them into the blades.
The concern is that a collision with moving device parts (e.g., turbine blades), a moving device (e.g., tidal kite), or perhaps the stationary part of a device (e.g., foundation) could cause irrevocable injury or death. For animal populations that are under stress for other reasons, such as climate change or other human activities, loss of even a few members due to collision might affect the survivability of the population. The greatest concerns are for marine mammals, especially those in protected or declining populations; commercially and recreationally important fish species; and endangered seabirds.
This Short Science Summary was developed based on the OES-Environmental 2020 State of the Science Report: Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy Development Around the World, specifically Chapter 3: Collision Risk for Animals around Turbines.
The table below contains the literature relevant to this summary document and will continue to be updated as new literature is added to Tethys.
| Title | Author | Date Sort ascending | Content Type | Technology | Stressor | Receptor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressing Tidal Energy Through Organized Data Approaches | Copping, A., Hemery, L., Garavelli, L., Freeman, M. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles | |
| Evaluating the Risk of Collision of Seals Swimming Within Metres of Operating Tidal Turbines | Montabaranom, J., Gillespie, D., Sparling, C., Longden, E., Hastie, G. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision | Marine Mammals, Pinnipeds | |
| Observations of marine animal interactions with a small tidal turbine | Cotter, E., Bassett, C., Murphy, P., Scott, M., Runyan, A., Almokharrak, J., Kao, L., Ovall, L., McMillen, S. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Avoidance, Collision | Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Pinnipeds | |
| Environmental Effects Monitoring Program Annual Report 2025 | Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, Noise | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals | |
| All tide up: addressing the regulatory and environmental barriers affecting tidal energy development in British Columbia | Kelsey, A. | Thesis | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision, EMF, Noise | Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement | |
| Misplaced fears? What the evidence reveals of the ecological effects of tidal power generation | Ascher, S., Gray, I., Collins, C. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Changes in Flow, Collision, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals | |
| Environmental effects of marine renewable energy off-grid and micro-grid applications: a use case approach to assess existing knowledge and remaining uncertainties | Hemery, L., Weicht, L., Copping, A., Garavelli, L. | Conference Paper | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave | Attraction, Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Visual Impacts | |
| Environmental Risks and Impacts of Offshore Energy: A Literature Review | Pontinha, D., Bispo, L., Gervásio, H., Aktuglu, Y. | Conference Paper | Marine Energy, OTEC, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Human Dimensions, Marine Spatial Planning | |
| Sea Turtles and Marine Energy: Linking Shell Mechanics to Impact | Lezcano, I., Wyneken, J., Porter, M., Mahfuz, H., Aziz, A., VanZwieten, J. | Presentation | Marine Energy, Ocean Current, Tidal | Collision | Reptiles, Sea Turtles | |
| Scottish seabird conservation action plan: vulnerability report | Scottish Government | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind | Collision, Displacement | Birds, Seabirds | |
| Sea Space Analysis for Wave and Tidal Energy | Lee, S., Strong, V., Anning, D., Buecker, N., Flanary, C., Chang, G., Escajeda, E. , Kramer, S., Mullany, D. | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave | Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Water Quality, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning, Navigation, Recreation & Tourism, Social & Economic Data, Stakeholder Engagement, Visual Impacts | |
| Tidal Industry Seal Project: Managing the Consenting Risk of Harbour Seal Collision in the Scottish Tidal Energy Industry | Edwards, E., Davies, I., Gerich, G., Green, M., Leaver, D., McKie, J., McLean, A., Munro, P., Murray, J., Smith, K. | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Avoidance, Collision | Marine Mammals, Pinnipeds | |
| Tidal Stream Energy Project: Collision Risk Data and Evidence Summary | Phillips, E., Wren, S., King, G., San Martin, E. | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Avoidance, Collision, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy | |
| Outlook on the development of eco-friendly offshore renewable energy technologies | Sun, P., Jiang, Z., Chen, Y., Song, X., Pang, Y., Cai, B., Xu, X., Li, Y. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Marine Spatial Planning | |
| Autonomous sensor suite for evaluating fish-turbine interactions and environmental impacts in marine renewable energy and hydropower | Salalila, A., Lu, J., Martinez, J., Hou, H., Deng, Z. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Changes in Flow, Collision | Fish | |
| A Fuzzy Logic Technique for the Environmental Impact Assessment of Marine Renewable Energy Power Plants | Flores, P., Mendoza, E. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Ocean Current, OTEC, Tidal, Wave | Attraction, Avoidance, Chemicals, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Visual Impacts | |
| Seals exhibit localised avoidance of operational tidal turbines | Montabaranom, J., Gillespie, D., Longden, E., Rapson, K., Holoborodko, A., Sparling, C., Hastie, G. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Avoidance, Collision | Marine Mammals, Pinnipeds | |
| Shetland Tidal Array Monitoring Report July 2023 to June 2024 | Smith, K. | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Habitat Change | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Pelagic Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals | |
| Environmental Effects Monitoring Program Annual Report 2024 | Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Noise | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy | |
| Wave and Tidal Energy: Evaluation of Feasibility, Costs, and Benefits Senate Bill 605 Report | Lee, S., Strong, V., Aspen Environmental Group | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave | Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Social & Economic Data | |
| 2024 State of the Science Report - Chapter 3: Marine Renewable Energy: Stressor-Receptor Interactions | Garavelli, L., Hemery, L., Rose, D., Farr, H., Whiting, J., Copping, A. | Report | Marine Energy, OTEC, Tidal, Wave | Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles | |
| OES-Environmental 2024 State of the Science Report: Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy Development Around the World | OES-Environmental | Report | Marine Energy, OTEC, Tidal, Wave | Attraction, Avoidance, Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment, Reptiles, Sea Turtles, Terrestrial Mammals, Human Dimensions, Legal & Policy, Recreation & Tourism, Stakeholder Engagement | |
| Recent Advances in Assessing Environmental Effects of Marine Renewable Energy Around the World | Copping, A., Martinez, L., Hemery, L., Hutchison, I., Jones, K., Kaplan, M. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Ocean Current, OTEC, Riverine, Salinity Gradient, Tidal, Wave | Attraction, Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Physical Environment | |
| On the Hydrodynamic Analysis of a Vertical Axis MHK Turbine - Investigating Fish Trajectories via large-eddy simulation | Seyedzadeh, H., Anjiraki, M., Sorisio, Guglielmo, Wilson, C., Khosreonejad, A. | Conference Paper | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision | Fish | |
| ALFA Task 10: Quantifying Collision Risk for Fish and Turbines | Polagye, B., Bassett, C., Scott, M., Cotter, E., Joslin, J., Jones, L., Talpey, G., Snortland, A., Peraza, J., Horne, J. | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision | Fish | |
| Environmental impacts from large-scale offshore renewable-energy deployment | Ouro, P., Fernandez, R., Armstrong, A., Brooks, B., Burton, R., Folkard, A., Ilić, S., Parkes, B., Schultz, D., Stallard, T., Watson, F. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave, Wind Energy, Fixed Offshore Wind, Floating Offshore Wind | Changes in Flow, Collision, EMF, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Physical Environment, Sediment Transport | |
| Numerical study of a fish swimming in hydrokinetic turbine wake | Macias, M.M., Mendes, R.C.F., Garcia-Ortiz, J.H., Oliveira, T.F., Brasil Junior, A.C.P. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision | Fish | |
| Task Force on Sustainable Tidal Energy Development in the Bay of Fundy: Final Report | Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision | Fish, Human Dimensions | |
| Predicting the probability of encounter between fish species and tidal stream energy devices using acoustic telemetry | Bangley, C., Hasselman, D., Culina, J., Flemming, J., Whoriskey, F., Stokesbury, M., Beland, J., Bradford, R., Sanderson, B. | Conference Paper | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision | Fish | |
| Improving Understanding of Environmental Effects from Single MRE Devices to Arrays | Hasselman, D., Hemery, L., Copping, A., Fulton, E., Fox, J., Gill, A., Polagye, B. | Conference Paper | Marine Energy, Tidal, Wave | Changes in Flow, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | ||
| Probability of Atlantic salmon post-smolts encountering a tidal turbine installation in Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy | Sanderson, B., Karsten, R., Hasselman, D. | Presentation | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision | Fish, Pelagic Fish | |
| Shetland Tidal Array Project Environmental Monitoring Plan (PEMP) | Smith, K. | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Chemicals, Collision, Habitat Change | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Marine Mammals | |
| Environmental Effects Monitoring Program Annual Report 2023 | Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Attraction, Avoidance, Collision, Displacement, EMF, Entanglement, Habitat Change, Noise | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Invertebrates, Marine Mammals | |
| A Probabilistic Methodology for Determining Collision Risk of Marine Animals with Tidal Energy Turbines | Copping, A., Hasselman, D., Bangley, C., Culina, J., Carcas, M. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision | Birds, Seabirds, Fish, Demersal Fish, Pelagic Fish, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment | |
| Quantifying conditional probabilities of fish-turbine encounters and impacts | Peraza, J., Horne, J. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision | Fish | |
| Automated Detection and Tracking of Marine Mammals in the Vicinity of Tidal Turbines Using Multibeam Sonar | Gillespie, D., Hastie, G., Montabaranom, J., Longden, E., Rapson, K., Holoborodko, A., Sparling, C. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision | Marine Mammals | |
| Task Force on Sustainable Tidal Energy Development in the Bay of Fundy Interim Report | Fisheries and Oceans Canada | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision | Fish, Human Dimensions, Fisheries, Legal & Policy | |
| Assessment of the impact of tidal power extraction from the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier through the evaluation of a pilot plant | Fockert, A., Bijlsma, A., O'Mahoney, T., Verbruggen, W., Scheijgrond, P., Wang, Z. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Collision, Habitat Change, Noise | Fish | |
| Shetland Tidal Array Monitoring Report April 2022 to July 2023 | Nova Innovation | Report | Marine Energy, Tidal | Attraction, Collision, Habitat Change | Birds, Seabirds, Waterfowl, Fish, Pelagic Fish, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds | |
| Measuring Detection Efficiency of High-Residency Acoustic Signals for Estimating Probability of Fish–Turbine Encounter in a Fast-Flowing Tidal Passage | Sanderson, B., Bangley, C., McGarry, L., Hasselman, D. | Journal Article | Marine Energy, Tidal | Avoidance, Collision | Fish |