Underwater power cables appear to pose no problems for marine life

Science News : The growing number of offshore renewable energy installations—wind turbines, for example—means more cables running underwater to transmit electricity to island and coastal facilities. The electromagnetic fields produced by the cables, however, have raised concerns for local marine life. Now those concerns may be put to rest thanks to three studies presented at the recent American Geophysical Union Ocean Sciences Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. One study investigated power cables in the eastern Pacific Ocean that some thought might function as an electric fence, disrupting the movements of Dungeness and rock crabs. Another study centered on the effect on salmon migration of a high-voltage power cable that crosses San Francisco Bay. The third looked at fish and marine invertebrates living near subsea power cables off southern California. In all three instances, not only did the cables appear to have no effect on animal movements or migration, but they served as artificial habitats in sandy or muddy areas.