Pioneering environmental studies, recognized by the international scientific community

Plos One and Limnology & Oceanography Methods, two international scientific publications, have approved the methodology and protocol for measuring the effects of noise on scallops. Frédéric Olivier, Mathilde Gigot, Delphine Mathias, Youenn Jezequel, Tarik Meziane, Christophe L'Her, Laurend Chauvaud, Julien Bonnel published in February 2023 in Limonology & Oceanography Methods an article entitled “Evaluating the impacts of anthropogenic sounds on the early stages of benthic invertebrates: the larvosonic system ”. The scientists conclude that the larvosonic system constitutes an effective tool for bioacoustic research on bentho-planktonic invertebrate species. The larvosonic system was designed, developed and tested by scientists. It consists of a plexiglass tank allowing both larval breeding and the diffusion of known sounds not distorted by the tank itself. This system was implemented at Tinduff (Plougastel – 29) within the scallop hatchery.

On January 11, 2023, Elie Retailleau, Arthur Chauvaud, Gaetan Richard, Delphine Mathias, Laurent Chauvaud, Sarah Reynaud, Jerom Mars, Sylvain Chauvaud published in the journal Plos One an article entitled “ The night life of scallops (Pecten maximus , L.): first description of their natural daily valve opening cycle ”. This pioneering study on the behavior of scallops carried out in 2021 in the bay of Saint-Brieuc, led by the SOMME design office, made it possible to characterize the activity of the shells for several weeks, through their valve movements.
The results and conclusions of monitoring measurements on noise on scallops will be the subject of scientific publications within a few months.

In October 2022, Mathilde Gigot defended her thesis “ Characterization of the acoustic impact of piling and drilling works associated with offshore wind constructions on the larval stages of the marine bivalves Pecten maximus and Venus verrucosa ”. 

This thesis , funded by the CNRS, was carried out under the direction of Laurent Chauvaud (LEMAR), Julien Bonnel (WHOI) and Frédéric Olivier (BOREA). Ailes Marines provided funding for carrying out laboratory experiments as part of the IMPAIC .

This scientific doctoral thesis (UBO) aimed to evaluate the impact of noise of anthropogenic origin on the larval stages of two species of bivalves: the scallop Pecten maximus and the clam Venus verrucosa , and more particularly the effect of noise of driving and drilling on the parameters of larval development. 

The work concludes that survival rates among scallop larvae and post-larvae are always greater than 96% for a 4-day exposure. The biology of the animal is modified in very small proportions during these experiments.

As part of the wind farm project in the bay of Saint Brieuc, Ailes Marines had environmental design offices carry out numerous observations during 5 years of monitoring. More than fifty different species have been identified in the area where the wind farm is located and its surroundings.

Ailes Marines has set up species monitoring using telemetry, consisting of equipping gannets with a GPS beacon. This beacon transmits the position of the bird live. As part of the Saint-Brieuc project, this beacon is used to trace the movements of Northern Gannets under the direction of Dr David Gremillet Research Director CNRS Population Spatial Ecology Team.

The first results show that the Gannets do not favor the park area but concentrate their movement near the coast and in the English Channel.