Offshore Draft SACs
A
draft SAC (dSAC) is a site that has been
formally recommended to Government by JNCC. A site remains a
dSAC until it has had Cabinet Committee approval to go out to
formal public consultation. There are currently five
offshore draft SACs: Pobie Bank Reef off the north-east of
Scotland; Solan Bank Reef off the north of Scotland; and
Hatton Bank, Anton Dohrn Seamount and East Rockall
Bank all located off north-western Scotland.
Hatton Bank was formally advised to
Government in February 2009 and was recommended for it's
bedrock, stony and cold water coral
reefs. Pobie Bank Reef, Solan Bank Reef,
Anton Dohrn Seamount and East Rockall Bank were all formally
advised to Government in December 2011.
Pobie Bank Reef and
Solan Bank Reef have been recommended
for bedrock and stony
reefs;
Anton Dohrn Seamount and
East Rockall Bank have both been
recommended for bedrock, stony and cold water
coral
reefs.
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 dSAC:
- 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 dSAC - 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.
Hatton Bank
Hatton Bank is a large volcanic bank in the North-East
Atlantic. The depth of the bank ranges from less than 500 to over
1000 metres. The hard substrates provided by the stony and bedrock
reef on the site support a wide array of species. These include
scleractinian corals, lace corals, black corals, soft corals and
cup corals as well as seafans and sponges. Cold water coral reefs,
made up of Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora
oculata, are also present. Further details of the 2005-2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment
surveys that visited and collected data at Hatton
Bank are also available.
Hatton Bank SAC
Selection Assessment Document (2,256 KB)
Hatton Bank Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on
Operations (666 KB)
Hatton Bank dSAC boundary
Pobie Bank Reef
Pobie Bank Reef is located in the North Sea, approximately 20km
east of Shetland, Scotland. The site is approximately 70km long and
21km wide with seabed depth ranging from 70m to 100m. The reef is
composed of a combination of stony and bedrock reef and in the
central section of the reef there are very large, rugged bedrock
outcrops. The reef provides a habitat to an extensive community of
encrusting and robust sponges and bryozoans, which are found
throughout the site. This includes encrusting coralline algae, cup
sponges, and bryozoans in the shallower areas; and small erect
sponges, cup corals and brittlestars in the deeper areas. Harbour
porpoise, grey seal and harbour (common) seal are present at Pobie
Bank Reef and are included as non-qualifying features.
Further details of the 2005-2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment
surveys that visited and collected data at Pobie
Bank are also available.
Pobie Bank Reef
SAC Selection Assessment Document (592 KB)
Pobie Bank Reef Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on
Operations (444 KB)
Pobie Bank Reef dSAC boundary
Solan Bank Reef
Solan Bank Reef is located approximately 50km north of Cape
Wrath on the Scottish mainland. The majority of the site lies in
water depths of 60 – 80m. However to the south east of the site an
outcrop of bedrock reef rises to approx 20m below the sea surface
whilst the north of the site extends to >90m water depth. The
reefs are characterised by encrusting fauna, mainly encrusting
bryozoans and in the shallower areas, encrusting coralline algae.
Also present are cup corals, including an as yet unrecognised
species, brittlestars, a range of sponges, bryozoans, hydroids,
soft coral, jewel anemones, foliose red algaes and kelp. Harbour
porpoise, bottlenose dolphin, grey seal and harbour (common) seal
are present at Solan Bank Reef and are included as non-qualifying
features. Further information on the 2008 JNCC survey of Submarine Structures in the
Mid-Irish Sea and Solan Bank is also available.
Solan Bank
Reef SAC Selection Assessment Document (2,375 KB)
Solan Bank Reef Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on
Operations (409 KB)
Solan Bank Reef dSAC boundary
Anton Dohrn Seamount
Anton Dohrn Seamount is a former volcano located to the west of
Scotland, about 200km from the Outer Hebrides. The top is at 1100m
and is interspersed with features extending to a maximum height of
around 530m below sea level. The seamount is approximately 1800m
high and the steep cliffs extend down to ~ 2400m. The reefs support
assemblages of sea cucumbers, brittlestars, cup corals, sponges,
gorgonians (sea whips or sea fans) and other corals. The cold water
coral Lophelia pertusa forms clumps of reef which occur at
the top of the seamount support a rich assemblage of associated
fauna including other corals, squat lobster and urchins.
Further information on the 2009 JNCC survey of Anton Dohrn Seamount and
East Rockall Bank is also available.
Anton
Dohrn Seamount SAC Selection Assessment Document (2,571
KB)
Anton Dohrn Seamount Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on
Operations (480 KB)
Anton Dohrn Seamount dSAC boundary
East Rockall Bank
East Rockall Bank is located to the west of Scotland, about
320km west of the Outer Hebrides. It is located along the eastern
flank of Rockall Bank geological feature where the slope descends
steeply down to over 1000m and is cut by two canyons. The stony
reef at the summit supports bryozoans and sponges as well as the
cold water coral Lophelia pertusa which forms clumps of
reef. A rocky ledge of bedrock reef that runs the length of
the eastern flank supports lace corals and sponges whilst the stony
reef found below this further down the slope provides a substrate
for corals and sponges. Further information on the 2009 JNCC survey of Anton Dohrn Seamount and
East Rockall Bank is also available.
East
Rockall Bank SAC Selection Assessment Document (2,130
KB)
East Rockall Bank Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on
Operations (443 KB)
East Rockall Bank dSAC boundary