The Belgian (BE) pilot had two main objectives. The primary objective was to evaluate Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) as a suitable location for restoring native flat oyster reefs in combination with culturing flat oysters and seaweed for human consumption. The secondary objective was to compare the growth of sugar kelp cultivated offshore and nearshore.
The BE pilot is situated in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (BPNS), more specifically in the OWF of BelWind (see below illustration), and combines three different activities: Offshore Wind Energy, European Flat Oyster (Ostrea edulis) aquaculture and reef restoration, and seaweed (Saccharina latissima) cultivation.
