Detailed survey of the offshore reefs of Lyme Bay. Survey areas were previously identified as being subject to damage from mobile fishing gear (DWT, 1992). The areas were selected for this survey on the basis of the previous DWT survey and of anecdotal evidence from local fishermen and divers. Beer Home Ground (Beer Head to Pinhay Bay) is an area of predominantly mudstone reef which has been subject to much damage in the past. Lanes Ground (Pinhay Bay to Golden Cap) is an area of mixed boulders, cobbles and pebbles over coarse gravel, while Sawtooth Ledges (Golden Cap to West Bay) is a limestone reef system, very rich in rare and fragile species, in particular, the sunset coral, Leptopsammia pruvoti and Eunicella verrucosa. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.
