Tidal turbines harness the energy of the ocean but have yet to become mainstream in the U.S. Like their above-ground cousins, tidal turbines can potentially cause deadly collisions with wildlife. But a new study in PLOS One shows marine wildlife like seals and seabirds interacting—but not colliding with—turbines. Using underwater cameras, researchers tracked 109 days around the turbines in Sequim Bay in Washington state. The cameras didn’t catch a single collision incident between seals or seabirds and the turbines. The researchers concluded that seabirds are at low risk of collision because cameras only captured them when the turbines weren’t operational, usually at high tide. While the seals were spotted while a turbine was operational, their strong and acrobatic swimming abilities likely kept them from colliding with the moving turbine, researchers said.
