Vorsprung durch Shellfish

The recent shelving of the London Array windfarm extension has attracted considerable media attention. Allegedly it was due to uncertainty over whether the development would harm a protected bird species. See these articles:

• Telegraph: Offshore windfarm scrapped due to fears over birds
• BBC news: Sea bird halts London Array wind farm expansion
• Grist news: World’s biggest offshore wind farm won’t expand because of bird

However, something seems a little 'fishy' (excuse the potential pun) about this saga.

It either means that wildlife is indeed benefiting from the thorough protection it so richly deserves, or there could be more to it than is reported in the media, i.e. perhaps there are other factors (financial?) in the background, and the wildlife issue is just an 'excuse', or it could subsequently be used as ammunition for 'green crap' reduction measures.

In any case, it is worth bearing in mind that properly designed/sited offshore windfarms can actually be beneficial for wildlife. See "Vorsprung durch Shellfish" article (with thanks to Alban Thurston for coining the splendid phrase) and the recent Friends of the Earth report report under the heading Marine Renewables, Biodiversity and Fisheries.