Fugro EMU undertook the benthic sampling and analyses in accordance with industry guidelines (Cefas, 2004; Judd, 2011; Ware and Kenny, 2011). Survey specifications were agreed with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) prior to mobilisation.
The specific consents required for benthic survey operations within the survey area are shown below;
MMO Marine Licence under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCAA) – Licence number L/2012/00140/3;
Derogation for scientific trawling under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCAA) and exemption of Eastern IFCA byelaws, 4, 6, 19, 12 and 14; and
The Crown Estate (TCE) conflict check under section 2(1) of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989.
17.
Fugro EMU participates in the National Marine Biological Analytical Quality Control (NMBAQC) scheme for taxonomical and particle size distribution analyses and is externally audited as part of the Fugro EMU BS EN ISO9001:2008 certification. All methods employed by Fugro EMU conformed with in‐house operating procedures and/or ISO9001 control procedures where appropriate and are described below.
18.
Sediment contaminants analyses were undertaken at an accredited sub‐contracted laboratory.
1.1 Survey Design 19.
An initial survey array was established based on the previous sampling effort. Following the acquisition of geophysical data in 2012, the survey array was reviewed, and locations were micro sited as appropriate. The following data were considered in the pre survey review of site locations:
Sidescan sonar and swathe bathymetry collected in 2012; Previous sampling locations from the East Anglia Zone studies; Previous on site observations of potential Sabellaria spinulosa reef; The Crown Estate (TCE) Conflict Check; and
Benthic Characterisation Report November 2013
East Anglia THREE and FOUR Offshore Cable Corridor
