Gemini
Construction of an oyster bank in offshore wind farm Gemini
In Gemini Windpark, above the Wadden Islands, we are going to construct an oyster bank of approximately 5 hectares. There we will study the growth, survival, reproduction and settlement of the oysters. With innovative research methods, we will discover under which conditions oysters eat and whether they remain stable on the seabed or move through the wind farm.
What are we going to do?
85 kilometres north of the Netherlands, an oyster reef is being constructed in an area of 5 hectares. We hope that in the following years these oysters will reproduce and develop into a new oyster reef. We conduct research into the optimization of reef construction in close collaboration with scientists from Waterproof, Wageningen Marine Research, NIOZ and Bureau Waardenburg. We will investigate how the reef is developing and why.
The location
This project is located in the Gemini Windpark, approximately 85 kilometres off the north coast of the Netherlands. The 150 turbines provide enough power for 1.5 million people and can supply 785,000 households per year with sustainable electricity.
Lost oyster reef is being restored
Gemini Windpark is located on the edge of the area of former oyster grounds. At this location, the conditions are suitable for oysters because of the bottom dynamics and low sandy soils. That is why Gemini Windpark and The Rich North Sea are trying to start a new oyster reef here.
Historical map of the oyster grounds, Olsen 1883
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