The time has
come again for our JNCC survey staff to join Cefas staff on their research
vessel, the Cefas Endeavour, for a 2-week-long survey to Farnes East and
North-east of Farnes Deep Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), within offshore
English waters. Monitoring MPAs in general, help us understand how these sites
contribute to network of marine protected areas (MPAs) around the UK coastline.
Farnes East MCZ has been selected due to the need for a bigger dataset to allow
management to be well informed regarding the status of the site. North-east of
Farnes Deep MCZ has been chosen due to the need to assess the effects of
proposed management measures.
Figure 1:
Locations of the sites to be surveyed this April.
Farnes East MCZ contains a
glacial trench forming the deepest part of the MCZ. The site is designated for
a large variety of sediment types, seapen and burrowing megafauna, and the
presence of Ocean quahog. The main focus of this survey is to investigate the glacial
trench and the subtidal mud feature within it.
The bivalve
mollusc, ocean quahog (Arctica islandica)
is a protected feature of conservation importance is found at this site.
Additionally, sea pens and burrowing species such as the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) make their home
within the muddy habitats of this MPA.
Our team will be using a
combination of mini-Hamon grab and drop-frame camera equipment to better
understand the subtidal mud feature within the site. They also aim to identify
the quality and quantity of the Habitat Feature of Community Importance (FOCI),
sea-pen and burrowing megafauna communities.
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Figure 2:
Bottom topography of Farnes East MCZ obtained from the joint 2012 survey with
Cefas..
North East of Farnes Deep MCZ
(NEFD) is mainly composed of sandy sediment, with smaller patches of gravelly
sand and mud, which are all protected substrates. These substrates are known to
support a diverse range of marine flora and fauna such as anemones, worms,
molluscs, echinoderms and fish species.
Watch this space and JNCC Twitter feed for further updates
before and during the survey!
