Belgian Pilot News | Installation of oysters and seaweed longlines offshore

 After two years of testing and preparing, the longlines have finally been installed at the Belgian offshore wind farm of Belwind. The aquaculture lines were connected to anchors, themselves screwed into the seabed. These lines have been designed to withstand powerful offshore waves, often encountered in the North Sea. The oyster (Ostrea edulis) line was installed at seven meters below the water surface, providing a more hospitable environment with lower wave impact. To allow enough light penetration for the seaweeds (Saccharina latissima) to grow, whilst also escaping the highest impact of the waves at the surface, the seaweed line was installed at three meters below the water surface.
The next step for this year is to install seeded seaweed nets, when the temperature drops below 14°C. At a later stage, project partners will investigate the financial feasibility of the operations on the one hand and evaluate the environmental impacts on the other hand.

Read the all the details of the installation process here.