2010 Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Ullapool Approaches benthic survey

• Availability: Not released
• Published by: Marine Environmental Data & Information Network
• Last updated: 09 June 2025
• Topic: Not added
• Licence: None

Summary

The purpose of this benthic survey of the Ullapool Approaches was to carry out a validation survey of the multiple priority marine features (PMFs)previously recorded within the area, to record new instances of PMFs and to detect unrecorded PMFs within the area. The survey area of Ullapool Approaches extends from the southern entrance to Loch Gairloch to Loch an Altain Duibh in the north. The study area consisted the four main loch systems - Loch Gairloch, Loch Ewe, Loch Broom and Little Loch Broom. An underwater video and still photograph survey was conducted by Heriot-Watt University (HWU) for SNH between the 20th July and 24th of August 2010 to contribute to a broad scale assessment of the distribution and extent of PMFs, in combination with more detailed, localised surveys of maerl, flameshell, seagrass, oyster, blue mussel, horse mussel and sea loch egg wrack beds. Drop-down video drift tows were undertaken at 245 sites in the area mainly from the vessel RV Serpula but also from a faster vessel MV Rebecca Ann to survey more distant offshore sites and the Summer Isles. The images, analysed under SNH contract by Heriot-Watt University, were used to describe the nature of the seabed in terms of the physical structure and the species assemblages. An infaunal and multi-grab survey were also undertaken in the area at 28 sites and 24 sites, respectively. Localised surveys were undertaken at a number of sites using mini-video, spot dives and MNCR phase 2 survey methods.

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• Added to data.gov.uk: 2025-06-04
• Access contraints: Not to be used for navigation. Native oyster was recorded during survey. SNH Sensitive species policy regards instances of Native oyster (Ostrea edulis) species occurrences and instances of biotope Ostrea edulis beds on shallow sublittoral muddy mixed sediment (SS.SMx.IMx.Ost/ SS.IMX.Oy) as sensitive, as commercial fishing is threatening stocks. As such SNH would not release such records in response to an Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 request at a resolution below that provided by a
• Harvest GUID: 4204a05afab6a5b6501e18ce4c7931e8
• Extent: Latitude: 58.0549° to °
• Extent: Longitude: -5.8917° to -5.0542°
• Dataset reference date: 2011-12-31 (publication)
• Frequency of update: notPlanned
• Responsible party: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Headquaters (owner, originator); NatureScot (HQ Inverness) (custodian); Data Archive for Seabed Species and Habitats (DASSH) (distributor)
• ISO 19139 resource type: dataset
• Metadata language: eng
• Source Metadata: XML
• Source Metadata: HTML

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