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coasts and seas are among the most biologically productive in the world, supporting around 8,000 species of plants and animals.
Scotland’s
Managing our seas
The PMF list will be used to support the advice SNH gives on marine biodiversity and will play a part in taking forward the new marine planning and licensing systems set out in the Marine (Scotland) Act. The list will also be used to guide future research carried out by SNH and others. And part of the PMF work – including flame shell beds, northern sea fan communities and crayfish – will be used to support the selection of marine protected areas (MPAs) for nature conservation. To support work on MPAs, a three-year marine research programme began this summer. It’s focusing on areas where we believe there are priority marine features. Surveys are taking place in the seas around Ullapool, the Clyde, Rockall, Fair Isle and in the Sound of Canna. The programme is part of the Scottish MPA project, which is being jointly
taken forward through Marine Scotland, Historic Scotland, SNH and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). The survey results will be used by the Scottish MPA project to provide advice to Scottish Ministers and help them to meet international commitments to develop a network of MPAs. “The PMF list includes many well-known and exciting species such as basking sharks, killer whales and Risso’s dolphins,” Katie added, “as well as some mundane sounding, but no less important, habitats. “One feature is ‘burrowed mud’, which sounds pretty dull. But plains of deep, soft mud in Scotland’s seas are home to a wealth of marine animals. The muddy seabed is peppered with the burrows of numerous shellfish, worms and even burrowing fish. It’s also home to the spectacular fireworks anemone and forests of tall sea pens, which resemble elegant white feathers growing out of the mud.” Mud habitats are a highly productive part of the marine system and they support Scotland’s second most profitable fishery, which seeks out the Norway lobster (also known as langoustine or scampi).
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