Benthic biodiversity of the tidal test site of Paimpol-Bréhat assessed by video imagery

marine tidal energy technology is still in its infancy in france and potential environmental impacts on the seabed are virtually unknown. the first french pilot project is currently launched close to paimpol and the bréhat island (brittany). environmental monitoring has started in 2012 to assess the baseline of benthic compartment before deployment and the grid-connections of the 4 turbines. the paimpol-bréhat tidal site is located on a hard rocky bottom where conventional benthic survey techniques are unsuitable. this paper describes the methodology used to assess the initial state of benthic communities on the turbines and cable deployment area and presents the first results of the mapping and monitoring of the targeted benthic ecosystem.

法国海洋潮汐能技术尚处于起步阶段，其对海底可能产生的环境影响尚处于未知状态。首个法国试点项目目前正在皮蒙和布雷特岛（布列塔尼）附近启动。自2012年起，已开始进行环境监测，以评估在部署和电网连接前底栖生态系统的基线状况以及四台涡轮机的基线状况。皮蒙-布雷特潮汐能源场位于坚硬的岩石底部，传统的底栖调查技术在此不适用。本文阐述了用于评估涡轮机和电缆铺设区域底栖群落初始状态的评估方法，并展示了针对目标底栖生态系统的首次测绘和监测结果。