ecosystem function. Edible crab is also an important commercial shellfish species throughout the North Sea, but was only found at one station in the various benthic surveys, with additional individuals being captured during the beam trawls.
10.5.6 Context and Summary 142. The benthic species and habitats found within the East Anglia THREE site are considered broadly typical of those that exist within the East Anglia Zone. Species abundance and diversity are generally quite low within the East Anglia THREE site compared to that of the Zone.
143. The predominant habitats are sands and gravels and these determine infaunal and epifaunal communities which are present. Such communities are dominated by polychaetes such as, Spiophanes bombyx and Nephtys cirrosa, crustaceans such as Urothoe brevicornis and Bathyporeia elegans and echinoderms such as Ophiuroidea sp. and Echinocyamus pusillus.
144. The homogeneity of the benthic ecology across the East Anglia THREE site is evident by the fact that only four different infaunal communities were identified as present, all of which were extremely similar.
145. The habitats and species found within the East Anglia THREE site and within the offshore cable corridor are analogous to findings of other surveys that have been conducted within the region. Examples include the Regional Environmental Characterisation (REC) studies (Emu and the University of Southampton 2009 and Limpenny et al. 2011) and characterisation surveys for other offshore windfarm environmental impact assessments (Hornsea Offshore Wind Farm project One, Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm, Galloper Wind Farm and Dogger Bank Creyke Beck).
146. Of particular relevance are the Outer Thames Estuary SPA and the East Coast RECs, which overlap with the offshore cable corridor. Both of these studies found that sediment type was the greatest predictor for the benthic communities present and that the infauna was dominated by many of the polychaetes which dominate the data from the East Anglia THREE surveys such as Nephtys cirrosa, Urothoe brevicornis and Bathyporeia elegans (Emu and University of Southampton 2009).
147. No biogenic or rocky reef areas were detected in the combined survey and data anlaysis for the East Anglia THREE site and offshore cable corridor.
148. Limited potential Annex I habitat and protected species were identified as present within the East Anglia THREE site and offshore cable corridor. A very small section of
Preliminary Environmental Information May 2014
East Anglia THREE Offshore Windfarm
Chapter 1 Introduction Page 56
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