Report | June 17, 2020
Protecting the North Sea: Aberdeenshire
The waters of the North Sea surrounding Aberdeenshire (Figure 1) are characterised by a wide range of geological and geomorphological features that, in turn, host a diverse array of marine biotypes and species. One area of particular interest is the Southern Trench, located along the south coast of the Moray Firth. The origin of this large-scale seabed incision is still contentious, but it is thought to have been formed from at least two fluvial erosion events, and as such is important for increasing our understanding of ice sheet drainage in this area.1 With an approximate length of 120 km and maximum depths of 250 m, it is one of the largest enclosed glacial seabed basins mapped in Scottish waters.1 In addition to its geodiversity significance, it is considered ecologically important due to the occurrence of biodiversity features that include burrowed mud, fronts, shelf deeps, and minke whales. On the basis of these features, it was identified as a potential candidate for protection in 2012 and formally proposed as a Scottish Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (NCMPA) in 2019. Although benthic communities in the area outside of the Southern Trench have been less well studied, the reef‑forming polychaete Sabellaria spinulosa has been documented from some locations, on mixed sediment (see Known ecological features of interest). Additionally, there are extensive areas of burrowed mud, particularly in the Southern Trench, with associated communities that include burrowing megafauna such as Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) and sea pens.2
In 2017, Oceana carried out a research expedition in the waters of Aberdeenshire, to gather further information about the area’s benthic species and communities. Surveys were conducted mainly through low-impact visual means (filming via a remotely operated vehicle and by professional divers) and were complemented with seabed grab sampling of sediments and infauna. Locations surveyed included unprotected areas, points within the area’s three existing marine protected areas (none of which protect seabed ecosystems), and the proposed Southern Trench NCMPA. In total, Oceana documented 481 taxa (351 to the species level), in association with 14 habitat types. Among the marine features recorded were 16 species and seven habitat types that are considered priorities for conservation under Scottish or international frameworks. Key findings included reefs and other aggregations formed by ross worm (Sabellaria spinulosa), kelp forests, submerged caves, and sea pen and burrowing megafauna communities.
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