Report | December 16, 2019
Protecting the North Sea: Holderness
The waters off Holderness, north of the Humber Estuary on the Yorkshire coast, represent a very rich area in terms of marine biodiversity. This is partly due to the mosaic of substrate types found in the area, which range from rocky bottoms and coarse sediment through to mixed sediment, sand, and mud. This array of substrates supports, in turn, a wide range of benthic species, both sessile and mobile, including those that live on the surface of coarse sediments and infauna that live within softer sediments.
The ecological importance of seabed habitats and communities in these waters has led to the designation of three marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Holderness area (Fig.1). Holderness Inshore Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) was designated in 2016 to protect a range of seven habitat features that support a diversity of fauna, including commercially important species such as European eel and edible crab.1 More recently, in 2019, Holderness Offshore MCZ was also designated as a protected area,2 with spawning and nursery grounds for commercially fished species of crustaceans and fishes,3 4 foraging habitat for seabirds, and records of basking sharks and ocean quahog. To the north of the area is Flamborough Head, a Natura 2000 and OSPAR MPA that contains boulder reefs, underwater caves, and sandbanks.5 The area also supports significant seabird colonies, and whales and dolphins have been spotted in its waters.6 Flamborough Head encompasses a small (1 km2) no-take zone in which the removal of fishes, shellfish, and marine plants is strictly prohibited;7 and another area (38 km2) in which all trawling activities are prohibited.8
To help advance marine conservation and management in the area of Holderness, Oceana carried out research surveys in 2016, which focused mainly on animal life on the seabed (Box 1). Surveys were conducted both inside protected areas (Flamborough Head and Holderness Inshore) and outside protected areas: in the waters of Holderness Offshore (which at the time had been recommended but not proposed for protection) and in the still-unprotected corridor between Holderness Inshore and Holderness Offshore. The main objective of this research was to gather additional data to support the designation of Holderness Offshore, given what was already known about the ecological importance of the Holderness area.
A high resolution version of this report can be found here.
