An area of shallow sandbank in UK offshore waters to the east of the Isle of Man (Figure 1.1) was identified by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) to be considered as a potential offshore SAC (Special Area of Conservation) in 2004. Following initial discussions the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD, now the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute - AFBI) offered the use of the research vessel RV Lough Foyle to conduct an initial Acoustic Ground Discrimination System (AGDS) and infauna survey. Following this, two additional surveys were undertaken by AFBI using the RV Corystes which were co-funded by JNCC. This work was undertaken in support of the AFBI project 0431; “Sensitivity of Benthic Habitats in the NW Irish Sea and Malin Shelf”.