Offshore EIA Concerns:

Offshore devices are more difficult to install and to protect from storm damage. To install one, a lot of studies should be done regarding archaeological site. In the case of the West Coast of Europe, it is mostly shipwrecks due to all the ship battles. The shipwreck positions are really important because those offshore wave devices are floating and the wave device should be moored at some point. Navigation hazards should be considered to avoid further problems with ships.

The offshore devices have different construction and different material. Some of these use oil as work fluid and losses can be fear. The final points that can be mentioned can be taken as positive. It seems that it is positively affecting fish. In some case, floating chain of ,device can serve as a barrier for pollution in case of petroleum tanker pollution.


Shipwrecks:

Archaeological site should be consider when a site is find for new wave device. In the West Coast of Europe, archaeological sites are shipwrecks due to all the ship battle from the 15th century and up to recent years. Shipwrecks are protected by different laws, and the fact that wave device could be floating at the top is not possible because at some points they need to be moored on the seabed by different ways. This would cause problems to reach the shipwrecks either by boat or diving, and can damage the shipwreck.


Device and Mooring Damage:

The mooring of the wave devices is important, because it is the only way to avoid them to move from the area where it was install at the beginning. The most common is a heavy block of concrete laying on the seabed, which could damage the natural habitat of fishes and other different species. Another way of doing it is by drilling a hole on the seabed and fills it with concrete. Other methods are available.

The question, which is still asked, is to know if it is not going to produce too much dust, when pile driving, therefore it can disturb the environment. Some answers are positive, because drilling a hole will not produce more dust or sand than it will produce with the erosion. The only fact is that it will be faster erosion!

A third method was looked at, but the result is not sure yet. It is using a big suction on the seabed! But, a lot of questions still need to find answer before using that method. For example, what will append is the seabed is not perfectly flat, is it as good as the heavy concrete block, is it really reliable. Is it not going to be affect be abrasion, and what about the fauna and the flora under the suction?


Navigation Hazards:

Ship routes are not regulated in the sane way as aeroplane plight plans. An aeroplane should follow some special route, at a certain speed. No such similar system is carried for the shipping industry. Wave devices can be a real hazard for them, if the devices are not very well signed either by buoys or lights. It could also be a hazard for the ship if in an extreme case, if the wave device is left adrift. That could be a real danger for the ship and all for the environment in case that the device will come and break on to air traffic control.


Working Fluid Losses:

The last case was an extreme case of a device left adrift, and knowing that wave device contain hydraulic oil, it could pollute sea water. In some case, inventors and manufacturers thought of using some biodegradable oil to be more environmentally friendly. This is the case of the pelamis where the inventors want to use that kind of oil. In some other case, such as the Salter's Duck and the Cockerel Raft, normal oil will be used. Maybe one day, the duck will work with water instead off oil. If a leak appear on one of those devices, it will create water pollution and it won’t also look nice on the top of the water.


Fish:

As already mentioned on previous paragraph, wave devices can have an effect on fish habitat and what will happend if we destroy them with the mooring. Herring and salmon spawn on gravel so, the effect of mooring can be really important. In the UK coat most suitable location for wave device tends to overlap the areas, which produce the largest catches of fish. This also means that any major disturbance or removals of gravel for construction purpose appease inadvisable.

The devices might also create a favourable environment for large colonies of predatory birds, which might feed on the young salmon (smolts). It is suggested that fish like floating device, maybe it is creating artificial habitat, or reef, or something else, but it was benefit to fish shoal around the device.


Recreation:

The area between the wave device chain and the shore, could be used as leisure amenity, because the device provides calm water thereby promoting some water sports like canoeing and scuba diving.


Petroleum Tanker Pollution:

As explained in the coastal erosion, wave device chains are creating a barrier. That barrier can be benefit in case of petroleum tanker pollution. The wave device would stop the propagation of the petroleum to the shore. If it will happen one day, after the pollution, the floating device would need to be cleaned onshore.