Planning for another offshore survey! - Blog #1
By Kirsten Dinwoodie
Offshore Seabed SurveysCEND0520East of Start Point MCZWest of Wight Barfleur MCZ
Upcoming JNCC/Cefas Survey – CEND0520
Despite the recent stormy weather, we are preparing for another offshore survey!
Scientists from JNCC, Cefas and Natural England will be heading out into the English Channel to visit East of Start Point Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) and West of Wight Barfleur MCZ. The aim of this survey is to monitor the protected habitats at these sites, so we can better understand how to manage and protect them in the future.
Map showing location of East of Start Point MCZ and West of Wight Barfleur MCZ © JNCC 20/02/2020
East of Start Point MCZ is approximately 20km off the coast of Torquay, in Cornwall, and covers an area of 116km made up of subtidal sand. West of Wight Barfleur MCZ is another 100km away, and is slightly larger, at 138km2. This site is composed of subtidal coarse and mixed sediments.
The team will be collecting a range of scientific data from these protected sites to further our understanding of the sediments at these sites, and the animals living within them. This will hopefully (weather permitting!) include sediment samples, photos and video footage, water property data (temperature, depth, salinity) and maps of the seabed. All this information will give us a better picture of what is going on at these sites, allowing us to provide clearer management advice.
Keep up to date with the #CEND0520 survey on our Twitter and Facebook pages.