2011 - 2011 Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) Multibeam Sidescan Sonar Marine Habitats Survey Trial 2011/12 - Fisheries Science Partnership
FSP Multibeam Sidescan Sonar Marine Habitats Survey Trial
A project trialling the deployment of a multibeam echosounder from a fishing vessel off Northeast England. The project was a novel programme in which the commercial potting vessel *Providence* was chartered to undertake an acoustic seabed survey to assess the character of the seabed using state-of-the-art scientific equipment. This was done to assess whether the fishing industry can play a role collecting seabed habitat data to address the UK's need for such data by deploying a multibeam echosounder from a fishing vessel.
dataset
http://data.cefas.co.uk/#/View/3588/
function: order
CEFAS67aac098-4e45-45fb-820a-fc7a01029690
http://www.cefas.co.uk/
eng
OGP
urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326
geoscientificInformation
revision
2011-03-25
publication
2008-06-01
-0.5
0.5
54.25
53.5
revision
2010-05-18
2011-11-14
2011-11-23
publication
2017-02-01
notPlanned
The distribution of marine seabed habitats has repeatedly been identified as a major gap in our knowledge of the marine environment, with less than 10% of the UK Continental Shelf mapped in detail (Defra, 2010; Wilson et al., 2010). The availability of seabed maps helps to make decision-making transparent, it provides one of the base layers for spatial planning, is essential in the designation of areas of conservation interest, it facilitates assessments, and it aids stakeholder engagement. Developments in acoustic seabed mapping now allow the acquisition of high-resolution, full-coverage seabed maps using multibeam echosounders. Such surveys are now undertaken routinely to ensure navigational safety, and in recent years have been used too for seabed habitat-mapping purposes. Although this has helped to address the knowledge gap in our understanding of the distribution and character of seabed habitats, the pace at which such data is becoming available is not adequate to meet the current needs. **Survey Areas** Three proposed survey areas were chosen in consultation with the local fishing industry, the Northeastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (NE IFCA), National Federation of Fishermen's Associations (NFFO), and a local Natural England representative. The areas were chosen because of either their value to the local fishing industry, their location within or near a designated or proposed Marine Protected Area, or known features of conservation interested being present in the area. - Cowden Range - - The Cowden Range survey area is situated off the Holderness coast just south of Hornsea (Figure 2). It is between 2 and 4 km offshore, because survey work by East Riding of Yorkshire Council previously covered the 0–2 km area. The area is within a recommended Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ), i.e. NG8 Holderness Inshore. The features proposed for designation within rMCZ NG8 include intertidal mixed sediment, subtidal coarse sediment, subtidal sand, peat and clay exposures, subtidal chalk, subtidal sands and gravels, and Sabellaria spinulosa reefs. The Cowden Range area is also a prime location for the local potting fleet. Local knowledge suggests that large numbers of juvenile lobsters are present in the area and are believed to inhabit clay “huts”. During the survey, therefore, it was unsurprising that large numbers of lobster pots were encountered in the area. Four days of data collection took place within the area, achieving almost full coverage over the entire proposed area. - Sugar Lump - - Sugar Lump is a bathymetric feature shown on Admiralty Charts, situated around 9 nautical miles east of Flamborough Head (Figure 2). Local knowledge suggests that Sugar Lump is a continuation of the onshore geological feature of “Filey Brigg”. Within this area, the feature is believed to become more prominent with exposed bedrock present at the seabed. Fishing vessel plotter data indicated most activity taking place in the northeastern part of the area. One day was spent at the Sugar Lump survey area. The actual area surveyed was smaller than the proposed area because of the limited time available. Sufficient coverage was achieved to characterise the entire feature. - rMCZ - NG9 - - This area is a recommended MCZ known as NG9, Holderness Offshore. The features proposed for designation in this area are subtidal coarse sediment and subtidal mixed sediment. Owing to the size of the area, it would not be possible to collect full-coverage seabed data over the entire area. It was therefore proposed to collect widely spaced corridors of data over the area. Limited time was available to undertake survey work in the area, but it was considered important that some data be collected, so a small area was surveyed along the western boundary of the proposed larger survey area. It is an area of prolific lobster capture, considered to be one of the best for lobster along the Holderness coast. The seabed is believed to be similar to Cowden Range, with clay “huts” and boulders present at the surface.
Public data (Crown Copyright) - Open Government Licence Terms and Conditions apply
Public data (Crown Copyright) - Open Government Licence Terms and Conditions apply
Data Manager
Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory
Pakefield Road
Lowestoft
NR33 0HT
UK
+44 (0)1502 562244
originator
Data Manager
Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory
Pakefield Road
Lowestoft
NR33 0HT
UK
+44 (0)1502 562244
custodian
Data Manager
Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
Cefas Lowestoft Laboratory
Pakefield Road
Lowestoft
NR33 0HT
UK
+44 (0)1502 562244
pointOfContact
2017-02-01T13:33:32