South Rigg MPA

Status: Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ)

The site is located in the west of the Irish Sea region, approximately 23 km west of the Isle of Man. The seabed is predominately mud and sand with areas of coarse and mixed sediments, as well as rocky habitats.

Site

South Rigg MCZ is an offshore site that covers an area of 143 km². The site is located in the west of the Irish Sea region, approximately 23 km west of the Isle of Man. Depths within the site range between 50 m and 150 m.

The site protects a range of habitats (from fine sediments to rocky habitats) which in turn supports a wide variety of species. The mud within the site is characterised by mounds and burrows formed by the burrowing activities of certain species such as mud shrimp (Callianassa subterranea) and Norway lobsters (Nephrops norvegicus). These burrows can provide shelter for a range of other animals. The subtidal sediments in the site provide a home for a variety of species such as anemones, starfish and urchins. The rock habitat supports a variety of species such as sponges, anemones, squat lobster (Munida rugosa) and soft corals. 

More detailed site information can be found in the Summary section below.

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Site Timeline

The diagram below is a summary of the key milestones involved in the selection and designation of the South Rigg MCZ. More detail can be found within the Relevant Documentation section and in the post-consultation advice.

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Relevant Documentation

The documents referred to below and any other historical documents relating to South Rigg MCZ were produced during the selection and designation process and therefore may be out of date. This Site Information Centre is the most up-to-date source of information for this MPA, and will reflect any additional information gathered since these documents were produced. Further information about the Marine Conservation Zone site selection process and historic MCZ advice is available on JNCC's MCZ webpage.

• South Rigg MCZ Designation Order – the official description of the site designation under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. The Designation Order includes boundary co-ordinates, Conservation Objectives and a list of the designated features. More information on the Designation Order, including a designation map and factsheet is available on Defra's website.
• JNCC's pre- and post-consultation scientific advice for features proposed for designation in 2019.
• JNCC's formal conservation advice for this site is available in the Conservation Advice section.

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Summary

Last updated: July 2020

Information for this site summary was adapted from JNCC’s scientific advice to Defra on South Rigg MCZ and incorporates any further information gathered since this advice was produced. Please refer to the Relevant Documentation section for further details and information sources.

 

Site overview

South Rigg MCZ is an offshore site that covers an area of 143 km². The site is located in the west of the Irish Sea Charting Progress Two regional sea area, approximately 23 km west of the Isle of Man. It contains a variety of subtidal sediments and an area of rock habitat. The site depth ranges from 50 m to 150 m. South Rigg was originally recommended by the Irish Sea Conservation regional MCZ project in 2011. Additional information was gathered from surveys and habitat maps before the site was initially advised on in 2014. 

South Rigg MCZ includes a variety of habitats from finer sediments to rocky habitats and supports a wide range of species. Subtidal sediment provides a home for species such as bristle worms, anemones, starfish, irchins, burrowing anemones, clams and cockles. The rocky habitats within the site support species such as sponges, anemones, squat lobster (Munida rugosa), brittle star species and a soft coral known as dead man's fingers (Alcyonium digitatum). The mud within the site is characterised by mounds and burrows formed by burrowing species such as mud shrimp (Callianassa subterranea) and Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus).

Further detail on the evidence for this MCZ can be found in the Monitoring and Evidence section.

Site location: Co-ordinates for this MCZ can be found in the Designation Order listed in the Relevant Documentation section.

Site area: 143 km².

Site depth range: 50–150 m.

Charting Progress 2 Biogeographic Region: Irish Sea.

Site boundary description: The site boundary is delineated predominantly by the territorial seas' limits of the Isle of Man, Scotland and Northern Ireland, where these intersect in the western Irish Sea.

The boundary of the South Rigg MCZ has not changed since it was recommended by the Irish Seas Regional MCZ Project in 2011.

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Monitoring and Evidence

Last updated: November 2023

Site-specific data

There are a range of data that underpin this MCZ. The full overview of these data used to support site identification along with information on confidence in feature presence and extent is available in JNCC’s Tranche Three MCZ pre-consultation and post-consultation scientific advice for offshore Marine Conservation Zones proposed for designation in 2019. JNCC will be adding relevant survey data for this MPA to its MPA Mapper in due course.

Some of the data for this MCZ have been collected through JNCC-funded or collaborative surveys and some through other means. Data from these surveys provide direct evidence confirming the presence of the protected features within the site.

 

Survey and data gathering

• Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) site survey of South Rigg MCZ (2012) – Acoustic MBES data and groundtruthing grab samples were collected aboard RV Corystes during the dedicated site survey undertaken by AFBI in February 2012.

 

Data analysis reports

• South Rigg rMCZ Post-survey Site Report (2016) – Cefas undertook analysis of acoustic data and grab samples collected by the dedicated AFBI site survey. These data were used to produce an updated habitat map for the site and inform the presence of broadscale habitats and habitat FOCI and allow estimates to be made of their spatial extent within the site.

 

Knowledge gaps

As part of the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy (UKMMAS), JNCC led the development of a UK Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy, working with partners across the UK monitoring community. The Strategy spans UK territorial and offshore waters, focusing on biodiversity in the wider environment and within Marine Protected Areas.  Its aim is to implement efficient, integrated monitoring of marine biodiversity to provide the evidence needed for all the UK's policy drivers.

The evidence collected during MPA monitoring surveys is used in combination with other available evidence to:

• Enable assessment of condition of the features within sites;
• Contribute to the assessment of the degree to which management measures are effective in achieving the conservation objectives for the protected features;
• Support the identification of priorities for future protection and/or management; and,
• Enable Government to fulfil its national and international assessment and reporting commitments in relation to MPAs and help identify where further action may be required.

More detail on offshore MPA monitoring can be found on the Offshore MPA monitoring webpage. A list of monitoring surveys and relevant reports can be found on the MPA monitoring survey reports webpage.

If you are aware of any additional information not referred to in the Relevant Documentation section or above, please contact us.

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Conservation Advice

Last updated: December 2025

Further information on JNCC’s approach used to develop conservation advice packages is available on our 'Conserving MPAs' webpage along with a Glossary of Terms used in JNCC conservation advice to support the use of conservation advice packages.

You must refer to the conservation advice package for a MCZ if you are:

• intending to carry out any licensed activity in or near a MCZ and need to find out how to operate within the law;
• an authority providing advice on specific proposals;
• an authority responsible for putting management measures in place.

Note JNCC's conservation advice has undergone development and a restructure in 2025 resulting in some changes it is useful to be aware of. Amongst other changes, most notably, there are now only four documents instead of five, having merged the content previously presented in two separate documents i.e. the Conservation Objectives and Conservation Advice Statements into one which is called the Conservation and Management Advice Document.

We will engage with stakeholders to identify any lessons which JNCC can learn from customers who have used the advice, with a view to continuing to ensure it is fit-for-purpose.

The following table provides an overview of the components of the conservation advice, and provides hyperlinks to each. Combined, these components form JNCC's formal conservation advice for this site and should be read in conjunction with each other. Until such times as this advice is updated, it remains JNCC's formal conservation advice for the site.

Documents	Overview
Background Information	Explains where to find the advice package, JNCC's role in the provision of conservation advice, how the advice has been prepared, when to refer to it and how it can be used.
Conservation Objectives and Management Advice	Sets out the broad ecological aims (conservation objectives) for the site, JNCC's view of protected feature condition, the conservation benefits that the site can provide if managed effectively, and the conservation measures which JNCC consider are required to support achievement of the conservation objectives stated for the site.
Supplementary Advice on Conservation Objectives	Provides more detailed and site-specific information and is essential reading to support the interpretation of the conservation objectives for the protected features of the site.  Use this document to assess the impacts of your planned activity on the important attributes of the site.
Advice on Operations	Provides information in an excel workbook on the activities capable of impacting the site's protected features and therefore achievement of the site's conservation objectives. This is a starting point for determining potential management requirements. It does not take into account the intensity, frequency or cumulative impacts from activities taking place. It simply supports an understanding of the possible adverse impacts that an activity can have on a MPA's features. Guidance is imbedded to support an understanding and use of the information provided in the workbook. Use the advice on operations to determine those pressures your activity can cause that could harm the protected features of the site.

These documents are available on JNCC's Resource Hub.

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