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Z:\Marine\071_MPAs\ScottishMPAProject\Scottish Guidance\Site assessment\Western Fladen\Western Fladen - data confidence assessment - v1.2.doc

Scottish MPA Project

Data Confidence Assessment

Western Fladen MPA proposal

Document version control

Version Date Author Reason / Comments

Version 1.0 4/12/2012 I Marengo Creating Data Confidence Assessment from Western Fladen - proposal development audit - v1_0.doc (04/12/2012 M Linwood ed.)

Version 1.1 7/12/2012 Jon Davies Detailed Review

Version 1.2 13/12/2012 Pete Chaniotis Action of comments from detailed review and prepare for draft release

Distribution list

Format Version Issue date Issued to

Electronic

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Figure 1 The Western Fladen MPA proposal

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MPA proposal name Western Fladen Date of assessment 23rd

August 2012 Assessors ALR, NC, PC, ML, OCA

The Western Fladen MPA proposal was derived from the Fladen Grounds Broad Search Area and is recommended for the protection of the seapens and burrowing megafauna component of burrowed mud habitat and geodiversity features representing the Fladen Deeps key geodiversity area (Brooks et al., 2012). The boundary of the search location was drawn to include seapen records that meet or exceed the average density of seapens recorded from across the Fladen Grounds and to include examples sub-glacial tunnel valley features which are representative of the Fladen Deeps key geodiversity area (Brooks et al., 2012).

Protected features

Biodiversity Burrowed mud (BM)

Geodiversity Overlaps with a proposed key geodiversity area –

Sub-glacial tunnel valleys from the Quaternary of Scotland Block;

(GeMS)

Feature exclusions (MPA search features recorded within the search location but excluded from the assessment with reasons)

Shelf deeps – There is no evidence available to support the functional significance of the shelf deep feature to the health and biodiversity of Scotland’s seas. The shelf deep feature has therefore not been assessed further. However the deep (sub-glacial tunnel valleys) remains a key geodiversity interest feature within the proposal as they are regarded as scientifically important (Brooks et al., 2012).

Data used in assessment -

Version of GeMS database Ver.2 (i10) & JNCC

Additions Nov2012

Other datasets used (specify) -

1Folk classifications derived by JNCC from British Geological Survey (BGS)

Particle Size Analysis (PSA) data (supplied to JNCC by BGS in February 2012)

2 Marine Scotland Science Nephrops UWTV survey 2001 – 2011 particle size

analysis (PSA) data

3 Marine Scotland Science 2008 - 2010 Nephrops underwater Towed Video

survey database

Summary of data confidence assessment (see detailed assessment on following pages)

Confident in underpinning data Yes Partial - No -

Confident in presence of identified features?

BM

Data suitable to define extent of individual MPA search features

Partial

- -

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Summary We have high confidence in the presence of the burrowed mud habitat within the Western Fladen proposal. The majority of the data underpinning the burrowed mud habitat have been collected since 2008 by Marine Scotland Science

3, using methods which are suitable for

verifying the mud substrate and presence of characterising epifauna for burrowed mud habitat. The data record the presence of seapens and burrows at sampling stations that are relatively evenly distributed across the proposal. Further planned sampling will determine the extent of seapen records, establish the range of infaunal species across the burrowed mud habitat, and enable a more conclusive assessment of the biodiversity within the proposed area. This may be used to support further evaluation this area against the alternative areas for the seapen and burrowing megafauna component habitat of burrowed mud within the Fladen Grounds Broad Search Area.

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Figure 2 The known distribution of protected features within the Western Fladen MPA proposal

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Data confidence assessment Our assessment of data confidence is based on considering the age and source of the data, type of sampling methodologies used and overall coverage across the MPA proposal

Age of data (Map A) -

Multiple records collected within last 6 years

Multiple records collected 6-12 years ago

-

Multiple records >12 years old -

Comments The majority of the burrowed mud habitat feature records within this proposed area were collected during the Marine Scotland Science Nephrops underwater Towed Video survey (2008 – 2010)

3. Marine Scotland Science Particle Size Analysis (PSA) samples

2 verifying mud

in the proposed area were collected between 2001 and 2011, and are supported by British Geological Survey (BGS) data1 collected

between 1980 and 1985. The British Geological Survey PSA data1 are from grab and core samples collected using various methods. It is

acknowledged that the spatial accuracy of older PSA records may be limited in places where the Decca Main Chain or similar types of positioning systems will have been used that could produce poorer spatial accuracy by modern standards. Sub-surface PSA results from cores have not been reported here. The underlying UKSeaMap2010 habitat maps were developed in 2010.

Source of data (Map B) -

Targeted data collection for nature conservation purposes

- Statutory monitoring (marine licensing etc)

- Fisheries survey work

Data collection associated with development proposals (EIA etc.)

- Recreational / volunteer data collection - Other (specify) –

British Geological Survey (BGS) survey data and Marine Scotland Science (MSS) survey data

Comments The majority of the burrowed mud habitat feature records and PSA samples2 within this proposed area were collected during the Marine

Scotland Science Nephrops underwater Towed Video survey, supported by BGS datasets1. The underlying habitat maps are the result of

work undertaken by JNCC to combine physical data describing the marine environment with information from biological sampling, generating a broadscale predictive map of seabed habitats (UKSeaMap 2010). The deep (sub-glacial tunnel valleys) key geodiversity interest feature is as presented in Brooks et al., 2012.

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Sampling methods / resolution -

Feature Modelled Acoustic / remote sensing Remote video / camera Infaunal - grab / core Fisheries trawl Diving Sediment sampling

BM

Comments Most of the burrowed mud habitat feature records were collected in 2008 and 2011 from randomly stratified video tow stations across the proposed area from the Marine Scotland Science Nephrops underwater towed video database. The MSS Nephrops stock assessment sampling is targeted at areas of suitable seabed sediment substrates and utilises a towed camera system, PSA samples are collected but infaunal samples are not retained. The data used to identify the geodiversity features (tunney valleys) were collected using echosounder recordings held within the Olex database.

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Data coverage (Maps A-D) -

Across MPA proposal

Numerous protected feature records evenly distributed across MPA proposal?

- Numerous protected feature records scattered across MPA proposal with some clumping?

Few or isolated protected feature records - possibly clumped?

-

Individual features

Multiple records of individual protected features providing indication of extent and distribution throughout MPA proposal?

Few or scattered records of specific protected features making extent and broad distribution assessment difficult?

- Few or isolated records of specific protected feature records

-

Are acoustic remote sensing data available to facilitate the development of a full coverage predictive seabed habitat map?

No

Comments Burrowed mud (BM)

UKSeaMap 2010 (in GeMS v2i10) - The habitat map predicts that EUNIS habitat A5.37 Deep circalittoral mud is the dominant habitat within the proposed area boundary

Folk classification of sediment types were derived by JNCC from British Geological Survey (BGS) Particle Size Analysis (PSA) data (supplied to JNCC by BGS in February 2012)

1 - (i.e. folk classifications based on PSA data points underpinning the BGS substrate map

upon which the predicted habitat map is based) - All of the 23 sediment samples collected by the BGS within the proposed Nature Conservation MPA were collected in 1981 and record the presence of the modified folk class/EUNIS ‘mud and sandy mud’ (EUNIS A5.3) and are evenly distributed across the proposal.

Marine Scotland Science 2001 – 2011 particle size analysis (PSA) data2 – Of the 31 sediment samples collected by MSS between 2002 and

2010 within the proposal, 5 record the presence of folk class ‘sandy mud’ and are directly transferable to the modified folk/EUNIS category of ‘mud and sandy mud’. These 5 samples lie towards the south-western boundary of the proposal. The remaining 26 samples record the presence of ‘muddy sand’ and are evenly distributed across the boundary of the proposal. The muddy sand records are not directly transferable to the modified folk/EUNIS category ‘sand and muddy sand’ without percentage mud content as the threshold between this and the former modified folk class is part way through the muddy sand folk class. In the context of the BGS PSA data a likely scenario is that the values are ‘mud and sandy mud’.

Marine Scotland Science 2008 - 2010 Nephrops underwater Towed Video survey database3 – Multiple records of seapens are scattered

across the proposal, particularly in the north-west tip, the central-eastern and the south-eastern sections of the proposal. The surveys found the following seapen species present: V. mirabilis (abundance or ACOR scale scores of the species were: ‘abundant’, ‘common’ and ‘occasional’) and P. phosphorea (abundance or ACOR scores of the species were: ‘common’, ‘occasional’ and ‘rare’). Eight of the stations record both seapens and burrows and one of the stations records the presence of burrows only. Burrow density values from the database for the nine stations within the proposed area range from 0.04 (av. no. burrows/m

2) to 0.54, the mean being 0.19 (the average for the values

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Data coverage (Maps A-D) -

across the Fladen grounds (outside of the proposals) is 0.33).

MSS Nephrops stock assessment video analysis 2004 (in GeMS v2i10) - Three video records from 2004 confirmed the presence of the habitat ‘seapens and burrowing megafauna’ in the central-eastern area of the proposal. All three records were determined as ‘certain’.

Geodiversity

The shelf deep feature mapped from UK Admiralty Charts is backed up by the mapping of sub-glacial tunnel valleys (Quaternary of Scotland Block) from extensive echosounder recordings held within the Olex database (Brooks et al, 2012)

N.B. GeMS is populated with data on priority marine features and the search features used to drive the selection of Nature Conservation MPAs. Non-MPA search feature/priority marine feature data are not included in the geodatabase but may be considered during the data confidence assessments for the Nature Conservation MPA proposals to improve the assessment of feature presence and extent.

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THE EVIDENCE-BASE

A

B

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C

D

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Year Title Features covered

2012 Geodatabase of Marine features in Scotland (GeMS) Ver.2 iteration 10 BM, geodiversity

2012 Brooks, A.J. Kenyon, N.H. Leslie, A., Long, D. and Gordon, J.E. (2012). Characterising Scotland's marine environment to define search locations for new Marine Protected Areas. Part 2: The identification of key geodiversity areas in Scottish waters (2

nd interim report). Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No.431. Available from

<http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/431.pdf>

Geodiversity

2011 C Greathead, D Demain, H Dobby, L Allan and A Weetman (2011) Quantitative analysis of the distribution and abundance of the burrowing megafauna and large epifauna community in the Fladen fishing ground, northern north sea. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science or Marine Scotland Science Report Vol 2 No 2

BM

2011 McBreen, F., Askew, N., Cameron, A., Connor, D., Ellwood, H., Carter, A., (2011), UK SeaMap 2010 Predictive mapping of seabed habitats in UK waters, JNCC Report 446, ISBN 0963 8091

BM

http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/431.pdf

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