Offshore Possible SACs
A
possible SAC (pSAC) is a site that has had
Cabinet Committee approval to go to consultation. A site remains a
pSAC until it is submitted to the European Commission. There are
currently three possible SACs, Pisces Reef Complex and Croker
Carbonate Slabs in the Irish Sea and Wight-Barfleur Reef
in the English Channel. These sites were
consulted
upon in summer 2011. JNCC are currently analysing the
consultation responses.
Pisces Reef Complex and
Wight-Barfleur Reef were formally
advised to Government in January 2011. Both these sites have been
recommended for their
bedrock and stony reefs.
Croker
Carbonate Slabs was formally advised to Government in March
2011 and has been recommended as an example of
submarine structures made by leaking gases.
JNCC provides
advice on the management of Annex I habitats and
Annex II species protected within 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 pSAC:
- 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 on managing human activities on the
site;
- GIS boundary for the pSAC - Please note that
boundaries for future sites are not fixed until the site has been
submitted to the European Commission. Therefore this site boundary
may change.
Wight-Barfleur Reef
The
Wight-Barfleur reef is an area of bedrock and stony reef located in
the central English Channel, between St Catherine’s point on the
Isle of Wight and Barfleur Point on the Cotentin Peninsula in
northern France. The depth within the SAC ranges from 25m to 100m,
with the deepest areas to the south, and within the palaeovalley
which runs along the south-east part of the SAC. The bedrock and
stony reef areas support a diverse range of reef fauna. There are
many types of sponges present, from encrusting sponges to larger
branching types. Tube worms, anemones and sea squirts are also
common on the large boulders and bedrock.
Wight-Barfleur
Reef SAC Selection Assessment Document (1,003 KB)
Wight-Barfleur Reef Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on
Operations (382 KB)
Wight-Barfleur Reef pSAC boundary
Croker Carbonate Slabs
The Croker Carbonate Slabs is an area in the
mid-Irish Sea, approximately 30km west of Anglesey, where extensive
areas of the Annex I feature “submarine structures made by leaking
gases” have been identified. The site lies in 70m water depth in
the north descending down to approximately 100m at the south west
corner. The seabed surface is composed of extensive areas of
exposed methane-derived authigenic carbonate (MDAC). The seabed
habitats created by these MDAC structures are distinctive,
supporting a diverse range of marine species that are absent from
the surrounding seabed characterised by coarse sediment.
Areas of ‘high relief’ MDAC support a diverse range of soft corals,
erect filter feeders, sponges, tube worms and anemones whilst the
‘low relief’ MDAC is colonised with scour-resistant hydroids and
bryozoans. Further details of the 2008 JNCC survey to the area are also
available.
Croker Carbonate Slabs
SAC Selection Assessment Document (892 KB)
Croker Carbonate Slabs Draft Conservation Objectives and
Advice on Operations (401 KB)
Croker Carbonate Slabs pSAC boundary
Pisces Reef Complex
The Pisces Reef Complex is located in
the western Irish Sea, in the north-west mud basin. It is
approximately midway between the Isle of Man and the coast of
Northern Ireland. The area consists of an extensive mud plain
through which three areas of Annex I bedrock and boulder reef
protrude, rising 15-35m above the surrounding seabed. The reefs
themselves support a diverse community of brachiopods, ascidians,
hydroids, sponges and fish. The Diphasia alata hydroid
community is present at the site. This community is not currently
included within the Marine Habitat Classification for Britain and
Ireland but is considered rare in the UK. The difference
in species composition and abundance between the reefs and the
surrounding mud plain highlights the importance of the reefs
locally providing a refuge for numerous species. The area of muddy
sediment around the rocky reefs supports a major Nephrops
norvegicus fishery and a high density of Nephrops
burrows has been observed.
Pisces Reef
Complex SAC Selection Assessment Document (1,268 KB)
Pisces
Reef Complex Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on
Operations (391 KB)
Pisces Reef Complex pSAC boundary