Designated Offshore SACs and Candidate SACs

To date twelve offshore SACs have been submitted to the European Commission, two of these sites are joint inshore:offshore sites. The sites have been submitted in three tranches, on 31st August 2008, 20th August 2010 and 26th August 2011. All of the sites are currently candidate SACs (cSACs). A site remains a cSAC until it has been formally designated as a SAC by UK Government, following approval as a Site of Community Importance (SCI) by the European Commission.

The first five sites that were submitted were Braemar Pockmarks and Scanner Pockmark in the North Sea, Haig Fras off western Cornwall and Stanton Banks and Darwin Mounds off western Scotland. These sites have been approved by the European Commission as Sites of Community Importance.

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge, North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef, Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton in the North Sea, Bassurelle Sandbank in the English Channel and North-West Rockall Bank and Wyville Thomson Ridge off Scotland were submitted on 20th August 2010. The UK section of Dogger Bank in the North Sea was submitted on 26th August 2011.

Braemar and Scanner Pockmarks have been submitted as examples of submarine structures made by leaking gases. Haig Fras, Stanton Banks, North-West Rockall Bank, Darwin Mounds and Wyville Thomson Ridge have been submitted for their stony, bedrock and biogenic reef communities. Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge, North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef and Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton have been submitted for their sandbank communities and Sabellaria spinulosa reef. Bassurelle Sandbank and Dogger Bank have been submitted for their sandbank habitat.

JNCC provides advice on the management of Annex I habitats and Annex II species associated with offshore SACs to Defra, Scottish Government and other Competent Authorities. JNCC is not responsible for the management of sites, or for producing management plans for them, these are the responsibilities of the Competent Authorities.

There are three downloads associated with each cSAC:

SAC Selection Assessment Document - Detailing the scientific justification for the site;
Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations - Providing, in draft format, guidance to the Competent Authorities in managing human activity on the site so as not to damage the protected feature;
GIS boundary for the cSAC.

The Impact Assessments, which assess the economic costs and benefits of designating the site, (undertaken by JNCC on behalf of Defra) are also available.

Braemar Pockmarks

Braemar Pockmarks © Hartley Anderson Ltd The Braemar pockmarks are a series of crater-like depressions, two of which contain submarine structures made by leaking gases. Also within the site boundary, and to the south-west of these pockmarks, there is an additional submarine structure that is not associated with a pockmark. These large carbonate blocks and pavement slabs are formed during the oxidation of methane gas. The habitat created supports chemosynthetic organisms that feed off the bubbling methane and provides shelter for fish species such as wolf-fish and cod.

Braemar Pockmarks SAC Selection Assessment Document (809 KB)

Braemar Pockmarks Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (594 KB)

Braemar Pockmarks boundary

Scanner Pockmark

Urticina feline © Sue Scott Scanner Pockmark is a seafloor depression containing submarine structures made by leaking gases. The large carbonate blocks lie in the base of the pockmark, supporting animals usually associated with rocky reef, such as squat lobsters and anemones and providing shelter for fish such as haddock and hagfish. As at Braemar Pockmarks, chemosynthetic organisms are present feeding off the bubbling methane. The gutless nematode Astomonema southwardorum is thought to occur only at the Scanner Pockmark.

Scanner Pockmark SAC Selection Assessment Document (650 KB)

Scanner Pockmark Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (580 KB)

Scanner Pockmark boundary

Dogger Bank

Dogger Bank © JNCC

The Dogger Bank in the Southern North Sea is the largest sandbank in UK waters and the UK site adjoins Dutch and German Dogger Bank sites. The bank supports communities typical of sandy sediments, characterised by polychaete worms, amphipods and small clams within the sediments and hermit crabs, flatfish and starfish on the seabed. Sand eels are abundant on the flanks of the bank and provide a food resource for seabirds, cetaceans and other commercial fish species, such as cod. The Dogger Bank region is an important location for the North Sea harbour porpoise population and as such they are included as a non-qualifying feature. Grey and common seals are known to visit the bank and are included as non-qualifying features at the site. Further information on the 2008 JNCC survey to Dogger Bank is also available.

Dogger Bank SAC Selection Assessment Document (1,753 KB)

Dogger Bank Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (207 KB)

Dogger Bank cSAC boundary

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge

Please note that this site crosses the 12 nautical mile boundary and JNCC have recommended it jointly with Natural England.

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge is located off the south Lincolnshire coast and has been recommended for it's sandbank and Sabellaria spinulosa reef communities. A wide range of sandbank types are enclosed by the boundary including banks bordering channels, relict linear banks and sinusoidal banks. The area contains species such as polychaete and nemertean worms and the ascidian Molgula sp. The main areas of Sabellaria spinulosa reef are found in the south-west of the site. These areas support a diverse community of bryozoans, hydroids, sponges and tunicates. Harbour porpoise and grey seal are also present at the site and have been included as non-qualifying features.

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge SAC Selection Assessment Document (952 KB)

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (346 KB)

Inner Dowsing, Race Bank and North Ridge boundary

North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef

Saturn Reef © BMT Cordah

The North Norfolk Sandbanks consist of 10 main sandbanks and a number of smaller banks, which collectively form the most extensive example of offshore linear ridge sandbanks in UK waters. The banks are home to invertebrate communities typical of sandy sediments, such as polychaete worms, crabs and brittlestars. One particular polychaete, the ross worm Sabellaria spinulosa, is capable of creating biogenic reef structures through consolidating thousands of fragile sand-tubes to create a solid structure that rises from the seabed. The Saturn reef is such a structure.

North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef SAC Selection Assessment Document (328 KB)

North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (331 KB)

North Norfolk Sandbanks and Saturn Reef boundary

Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton

Please note that this site crosses the 12 nautical mile boundary and JNCC have recommended it jointly with Natural England.

Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton contains a collection of sandbanks off the north-east coast of Norfolk. On the tops of the banks small numbers of polychaete worms and amphipods are present. In the troughs between the banks where the sediments are more stable bryozoans, hydroids and sea anemones have settled. Bivalves and crustaceans are found throughout the site. The site has also been recommended for it's biogenic Sabellaria spinulosa reef. The tiny sand-tubes that make up the reef support a diverse array of hydroids, sponges and tunicates. Harbour porpoise and grey seals are present at Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton and have been included as non-qualifying features.

Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton SAC Selection Assessment Document (803 KB)

Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (416 KB)

Haisborough, Hammond and Winterton boundary

Bassurelle Sandbank

Bassurelle Sandbank © BGS, Cefas, MES, JNCC Bassurelle Sandbank is a linear sandbank in the Dover Strait which straddles the boundary between UK and French waters and our site is aligned with the French site "Ridens et dunes hydrualiques du Detroit du Pas de Calais". Sandwaves and megaripples are common on the bank and biological communities are dominated by polychaete worms including the tube-worm Lagis koreni and bristleworm Spiophanes bombyx. Sand eels and weever fish are characteristic of the fish species present. Further information on the 2005-2006 Eastern English Channel survey that collected data to support the recommendation of Bassurelle Sandbank is also available.

Bassurelle Sandbank SAC Selection Assessment Document (347 KB)

Bassurelle Sandbank Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (347 KB)

Bassurelle Sandbank boundary

Haig Fras

Haig Fras © Ivor Rees

Haig Fras is an underwater rock outcrop 95 kilometres north-west of the Isles of Scilly. The site supports a diverse bedrock reef community including species such as Devonshire cup coral, jewel anemones, sponges and Ross coral. The offshore survey team are currently revisiting Haig Fras to gather additional survey data to inform future monitoring and management measures - you can read an online diary of their survey here.

Haig Fras SAC Selection Assessment Document (772 KB)

Haig Fras Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (599 KB)

Haig Fras boundary

Stanton Banks

Stanton Banks © MESH Stanton Banks are a series of granite ridges up to 130 metres tall that protrude from the seabed to the south of the Outer Hebrides. The site has been designated for its bedrock reef community. The tops of these ridges are smooth and covered in encrusting species such as red algae and small sponges. The rougher sides of the ridges support species such as featherstars, dead man's fingers and hydroids. Further details of the 2003-2006 JNCC surveys to Stanton Banks are also available.

Stanton Banks SAC Selection Assessment Document (1,786 KB)

Stanton Banks Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (561 KB)

Stanton Banks boundary

North-West Rockall Bank

Rockall Bank is an offshore bank in the North-East Atlantic. The north-west area of Rockall Bank is covered in a layer of fine sediment, gravel, cobbles and boulders of glacial origin. Some of these are shaped into characteristic 'ploughmark' formations, formed by the ploughing movement of icebergs through the seabed at the end of the last ice age. Animals present include the coral Caryophyllia sp., squat lobsters, brittlestars and the bluemouth red fish. In between areas of stony reef are large patches of cold water coral reef made up of Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata, interspersed with other species such as erect sponges and pencil urchins. Rockall Bank is potentially one of the most extensive sites of cold water coral reef in UK waters. Harbour porpoise are present at North-West Rockall Bank and are included as a non-qualifying feature. Further details of the 2005-2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment surveys that visited and collected data at North-West Rockall Bank are also available.

North-West Rockall Bank SAC Selection Assessment Document (828 KB)

North-West Rockall Bank Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (351 KB)

North-West Rockall Bank boundary

Darwin Mounds

At the Darwin Mounds site sandy mounds on the seafloor are topped with thickets of the cold water coral Lophelia pertusa. This is a unique situation as the coral is growing on sand rather than attached to a hard surface. The thickets range in size from one to several metres in diameter and support many other species such as starfish and sponges.

Darwin Mounds SAC Selection Assessment Document (2,717 KB)

Darwin Mounds Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (462 KB)

Darwin Mounds boundary

Wyville Thomson Ridge

Wyville Thomson Ridge © Crown Copyright Wyville Thomson Ridge is a rock ridge at the northern end of Rockall Trough rising from over 1000 metres at its deepest point to 400 metres at the summit. Along the ridge there are large areas of stony reef, thought to have been formed by the ploughing movement of icebergs through the seabed at the end of the last ice age. Bedrock reef is present on the flanks of the ridge and, due to the differences in water masses, there are different species compositions on either side. These reef communities support sea urchins, sea spiders, sea cucumbers and a range of colourful sponges and soft corals. Bottlenose dolphins are present at Wyville Thomson Ridge and are included as a non-qualifying feature. Further details of the 2005-2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment surveys that visited and collected data at Wyville Thomson Ridge are also available.

Wyville Thomson Ridge SAC Selection Assessment Document (397 KB)

Wyville Thomson Ridge Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations (623 KB)

Wyville Thomson Ridge boundary