Completed Offshore Seabed Survey
Since 2003 JNCC have been commissioning and collaborating on
seabed habitat mapping surveys in UK offshore waters. Our past
surveys include:
2010
Northern North Sea (2010)
This
collaborative survey, carried
out between Marine Scotland Science and JNCC, was conducted to
improve our knowledge of the distribution of species in northern
North Sea with a view to improving our information-base behind the
selection of Nature Conservation MPAs in the seas around
Scotland.
2009
Anton Dohrn and East Rockall Bank (2009)
This survey was carried out on behalf of JNCC by
the British Geological Survey, University of Plymouth and Marin
Mättenik AB, and were conducted to acquire high quality
acoustic and photographic “ground-truthing” data to enable the
distribution, extent and biological characterisation of Annex I
reef within two Areas of Search for offshore SACs - Anton
Dohrn and East Rockall Bank.
2008
Submarine structures in the mid-Irish Sea and Solan Bank
(2008)
The survey carried out on behalf of JNCC by
Cefas had two objectives: to map the extent and condition of an
area of potential methane derived authigenic carbonate which has
formed reef-like structures in the mid-Irish Sea; and the extent
and condition of bedrock and stony reef around Solan Bank off the
north west coast of Scotland.
Dogger Bank (2008)
The
survey, carried out on behalf of JNCC by Cefas, was conducted
to gather information to delineate a potential site boundary, and
to characterise the biological communities present on the Dogger
Bank in the southern North Sea.
2007
Rockall Bank (2005-2007)
These surveys were carried out in collaboration
with Fisheries Research Services, Aberdeen and the University of
Plymouth. The objectives of these surveys were to: identify
and map the range of seabed habitats present on the Rockall Bank
seamount; identify areas of Annex I bedrock and stony reef; and to
further develop the deep-water sections of the EUNIS habitat
classification system.
South-West Approaches (2007)
This
survey was undertaken as part of the MESH (Mapping European
Seabed Habitats) project to map the deep sea habitats of the
submarine canyons in the South West Approaches. This was a
collaborative project involving Defra, JNCC, the Marine Institute
(Republic of Ireland), the British Geological Survey and the
University of Plymouth. The objectives of this cruise were:
to collect high resolution acoustic data and camera imagery;
identify and map the extent of Annex I reef habitat; and to trial
the application of the MESH Guidance Framework, from survey
conception and planning through to reporting.
Mid-Irish Sea Reefs (2007)
The survey was carried out on behalf of JNCC by
ERT (Scotland) Ltd. The objectives were: to map the extent of
Annex I stony reef and to characterise the biological communities
present on the seabed.
North-West Irish Sea Mounds (2003, 2006, 2007)
This survey was carried out in collaboration
with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute and Queens University,
Belfast. The aim of the project was to map the extent of Annex I
bedrock reef and to characterise the biological communities present
on the seabed.
2006
The Eastern English Channel (2005-2006)
JNCC was a collaborative partner on this survey, working with Cefas, the British
Geological Survey and Marine Ecological Surveys Ltd. This
survey was funded by the Marine Environment Protection Fund.
The aim of the project was to produce regional habitat maps to
support management of planned exploitation of large marine
aggregate resources in this area and to identify areas of Annex I
bedrock and/or stony reef.
2005
SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) surveys off North
Scotland (2005)
The
SEA
surveys were commissioned by the Department of Trade and
Industry (now Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC)), the
data from which is used in the planning of offshore developments.
The surveys that JNCC collaborated on collected multibeam and
underwater imagery data from areas off the north and west of
Scotland.
Sandbank to the east of the Isle of Man (2004-2006)
These surveys were run in collaboration
with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute and Queens University,
Belfast. The aim of the project was to map the extent of this
sandbank in UK offshore waters east of the Isle of Man and to
characterise the biological communities present on the sandbank.
This enabled the assessment of this sandbank as a possible Annex I
sandbank.
North-West Anglesey (2005)
This
survey was run in collaboration with the Countryside Council
for Wales, the National Museum of Wales and the University College
Cork with funding from the MESH project. The aim of the
survey was to map the extent of potential Annex I reef in four
areas off North-West of Anglesey, and to characterise the
biological communities present.
2004
West Hebrides (2004)
This
survey was run in collaboration with Scottish Natural Heritage,
Queens University Belfast and the Department of Agriculture and
Rural Development for Northern Ireland. The aim of the project was
to investigate six areas to the west and south-west of the Outer
Hebrides, to map the seabed habitats and characterise the
biological communities present on the seabed.
Blackstones and Stanton Banks (2004)
These surveys were run in collaboration with the
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute and Queens University,
Belfast. The aim of these surveys was to map the extent of
Annex I bedrock reef in two areas to the north and east of Northern
Ireland, and to characterise the biological communities
present.
2003
Irish Sea Pilot Project (2003)
This collaborative survey between JNCC and the
Countryside Council for Wales was undertaken as part of the Review
of Marine Nature Conservation Irish Sea Pilot. The survey aim
was to gather additional information to test the validity of the
marine landscapes developed under the Irish Sea pilot.