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Please be advised, a consultation has begun by Scottish Government on fisheries management measures within Scottish MPA. This will run until 14 October 2024. For more information please visit the Scottish Government website. |
Status: Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (Nature Conservation MPA)
Located to the east of Scotland in offshore waters, the Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain MPA lies adjacent to the offshore limit of UK waters.
Site
The Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain MPA is located to the east of Scotland, adjacent to the offshore limit of UK waters.
A sandy plain in relatively shallow waters, the MPA includes records of the OSPAR Threatened and/or Declining species ocean quahog (Arctica islandica). This thick-shelled clam can live for more than 400 years, making it one of the longest-living creatures on Earth. Like tree rings, the age of ocean quahog can be determined by counting the shell layers that form each year, which also provide information on how our climate has changed over time.
More detailed site information can be found in the Summary section below.
Map displaying the Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain MPA boundary and associated protected feature data. Visit JNCC's MPA Mapper to further view and explore data for this MPA.
Legislation
Legislation behind the designation: Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009)
Protected Features
| Feature | Feature Type |
|
(including sands and gravels as their supporting habitat) |
Low or limited mobility species |
Specific information on the conservation objectives relating to this site is provided in the Conservation Advice section.
The acquisition of new data may result in updates to our knowledge on feature presence and extent within this site. The most up-to-date information is reflected on the map on this page and in JNCC’s MPA Mapper and the evidence underpinning this can be viewed in the Monitoring and Evidence section.
Site Timeline
The diagram below is a summary of the key milestones involved in the selection and designation of Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain Nature Conservation MPA. More detail can be found in the Relevant Documentation section.
Relevant Documentation
The documents referred to below and any other historical documents relating to Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain Nature Conservation MPA were produced during the selection and designation process and therefore may be out of date. This Site Information Centre is the most up to date source of information for this MPA, and will reflect any additional information gathered since these documents were produced. Information about the Nature Conservation MPA site selection process is available on the JNCC Nature Conservation MPA pages.
- Site Summary Document – Overview of the site and the protected features;
- Data Confidence Assessment – Sets out our confidence in the presence and extent of the protected features;
- Assessment against MPA Selection Guidelines – Details the application of the five stages of the Scottish MPA Selection Guidelines;
- Management Options Paper – Considers the management options for achieving the conservation objectives for each of the protected features in the MPA;
- Designation Order – Scottish Ministerial Order for the designation, including MPA boundary coordinates, and information on conservation objectives;
- Business Regulatory Impact Assessment – Assesses the environmental, social and economic costs and benefits of the designation;
- JNCC’s formal conservation advice for this site is available in the Conservation Advice section.
These resources are available on JNCC's Resource Hub.
Summary
Last updated: June 2017
The information for this site summary was adapted from documents listed in the Relevant Documentation section and incorporates any further information gathered since these documents were produced.
Site overview
The Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain MPA is home to a range of animals that live both in and on the sand and gravel habitats such as starfish, crabs, and the long-lived ocean quahog (Arctica islandica); the latter of which is considered to be Threatened and/or Declining across the North-east Atlantic by the OSPAR Commission. Ocean quahog filter food from passing currents and can use a shovel-like foot to bury into the sediment. They can burrow deep into the sediment to escape predators and live for long periods of time without food or oxygen. Ocean quahog are an important food source for several species of fish including cod. Although they are not specific to one type of habitat, sands and gravels are the ocean quahog's preferred habitat. The main threat to ocean quahog is disturbance of the sea bed, most often from bottom fishing activities, but licensed activities, such as oil, gas and aggregate extraction, can also directly and indirectly affect this species.
Offshore subtidal sand and gravel habitats are also protected to support the protection of ocean quahog in the context of providing habitat suitable for ocean quahog colonisation. Ocean quahog are typically found buried in medium- to fine-grained sands, sandy mud and silty sand in water depths of 4–400 m. Survey data from this MPA have confirmed the presence of ocean quahog within the depth range and sediment types in which they are expected to occur.
There are two other MPAs within the Northern North Sea biogeographic region that contain ocean quahog aggregations and their associated habitat as a protected feature. These are East of Gannet and Montrose Fields MPA, which is situated 55 km south-west of the site, and the Firth of Forth Banks Complex MPA, which is 220 km to the south-west. Together these sites increase the replication for protection, and therefore the resilience, of this protected feature in the MPA network. Further detail on the evidence for this Nature Conservation MPA can be found in the Monitoring and Evidence section.
Site location: Co-ordinates for this Nature Conservation MPA can be found in the Designation Order listed in the Relevant Documentation section.
Site area: 164 km2.
Site depth range: The site ranges in depth from 120 m below sea-level to 80 m below sea-level.
Charting Progress 2 Biogeographic Region: Northern North Sea.
Site boundary description: The MPA boundary was drawn to include both surveyed records of ocean quahog and areas of sediments considered suitable for ocean quahog colonisation.
Monitoring and Evidence
Last updated: November 2023
The full overview of the data used to support site identification along with information on confidence in feature presence and extent is available in the Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain Nature Conservation MPA Data Confidence Assessment. JNCC will be adding relevant data for this MPA to the JNCC MPA mapper when they become available. Some of the data for this MPA have been collected through a JNCC-funded survey. Data from this survey will provide evidence to confirm the presence of the protected features within the site. Other data available for this MPA have been generated through JNCC collection of third-party data and use of predictive seabed habitat mapping information. These data provide direct evidence supporting the presence of the protected features within the site.
Survey and data gathering
- Cruise Report from the East of Gannet and Montrose Fields and Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain seabed monitoring survey (2016) – This report details the preliminary field observations of the seabed monitoring survey of East of Gannet and Montrose Fields Nature Conservation MPA and Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain Nature Conservation MPA conducted by JNCC and Marine Scotland Science. These observations have not been quality assured and so have not been used to support the presence and extent of ocean quahog aggregations and offshore deep-sea mud. Data analysis and reporting is currently underway for the final report and this will be made available when complete.
- East of Gannet and Montrose Fields and Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain seabed monitoring survey (2015) – This survey was a collaboration between JNCC and Marine Scotland Science. Grab samples were collected to form the first point in a monitoring time-series, allowing the JNCC to monitor the rate and direction of long-term change in ocean quahog aggregations.
- Further evidence that supports our understanding of sediment type in the site have been derived from Particle Size Analysis data that has been sourced from partner organisations, including the British Geological Survey. Operators connected to the oil and gas industry in the Northern North Sea have provided data that support the presence of ocean quahog aggregations within the MPA boundary.
Data analysis reports
- Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain MPA Monitoring Report 2015 (2020) – McCabe, C., McBreen, F. & O’Connor, J. 2020. Norwegian Boundary Sediment Plain MPA Monitoring Report 2015. JNCC/MSS Partnership Report No. 4. JNCC, Peterborough, ISSN 2634-2081.
- EUSeaMap – Provides supporting information on the presence and extent of offshore subtidal sands and gravels from a predictive seabed habitat map of European waters.
Additional relevant literature
References for further supporting scientific literature consulted during the identification of this site can be found in the Data Confidence Assessment. Please be aware that although these sources contain information in relation to this MPA, they do not necessarily represent the views of JNCC.
Knowledge gaps
As part of the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy (UKMMAS), JNCC led the development of a UK Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Strategy, working with partners across the UK monitoring community. The Strategy spans UK territorial and offshore waters, focusing on biodiversity in the wider environment and within Marine Protected Areas. Its aim is to implement efficient, integrated monitoring of marine biodiversity to provide the evidence needed for all the UK's policy drivers.
The Marine Directorate of Scottish Government, in partnership with JNCC and NatureScot, developed a Scottish Marine Protected Area (MPA) monitoring strategy. The Strategy spans Scottish territorial and offshore waters, focusing on biodiversity within Marine Protected Areas. The Strategy is supported by a series of annexes which provide more detail on monitoring methods, collaborative working, current monitoring and a two year forward look for MPA monitoring in Scottish waters.
The evidence collected during MPA monitoring surveys is used in combination with other available evidence to:
- Enable assessment of condition of the features within sites;
- Contribute to the assessment of the degree to which management measures are effective in achieving the conservation objectives for the protected features;
- Support the identification of priorities for future protection and/or management; and,
- Enable Government to fulfil its national and international assessment and reporting commitments in relation to MPAs and help identify where further action may be required.
More detail on offshore MPA monitoring can be found on the Offshore MPA monitoring webpage. A list of monitoring surveys and relevant reports can be found on the MPA monitoring survey reports webpage.
If you are aware of any additional information not referred to in the Relevant Documentation section, please contact us.
Conservation Advice
Last updated: April 2018
Updated formal conservation advice is now available for this MPA. Further information on the approach used to develop this advice is available on the Conservation Advice webpage along with a Glossary of Terms used in JNCC conservation advice and a short video explaining how to use the conservation advice packages.
You must refer to this advice if you:
- Undertake an impact assessment for a plan or project that could impact the site;
- Provide information for such an assessment;
- Respond to specific measures to further the conservation objectives for the site; and
- Consider the need to put new or additional management measures in place.
You may also find it useful to refer to this advice if you:
- Carry out any other activity that could impact the site.
We will engage with stakeholders to identify any lessons to be learned from customers who have used the advice, to ensure the conservation advice remains fit-for-purpose.
The following table provides an overview of the components of the conservation advice, and provides hyperlinks to each of the products for this MPA. These elements together form JNCC’s formal conservation advice for this site and should be read in conjunction with each other. This advice reflects the most up-to-date evidence held by JNCC (correct as of April 2018).
| Document | Overview |
|---|---|
| Background Information | Explains the purpose of the advice and when it must be referred to. |
|
The conservation objectives set out the broad ecological aims for the site. JNCC provides supplementary advice in the SACO, which is essential reading to support interpretation of these conservation objectives. It provides further detail and site-specific information for each feature within the site including which of the attributes need to be conserved and which ones recovered. You can use these documents to assess the impacts of your planned activity on the important attributes of the site. Please note our current understanding of whether the available evidence indicates that each attribute needs to be recovered or maintained is not provided here. However, links to available evidence for the site are provided and should you require further site-specific information for the site, please contact us |
|
| Conservation Advice Statements |
These statements provide a summary of the Supplementary Advice on the Conservation Objectives (SACO).
|
| Advice on Operations |
Provides information on the activities capable of affecting site integrity and therefore achievement of the site’s conservation objectives. This is a starting point for determining potential management requirements. It does not take into account the intensity, frequency or cumulative impacts from activities taking place. It is simply to advise you of the possible adverse impacts that your activity can have on a MPA’s features. Use the advice on operations to determine those pressures your activity causes that could harm the habitat and/or species features of the site. |
These resources are available on JNCC's Resource Hub.
Image Gallery
- Ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) ©Crown Copyright. Image provided by DOENI.
- Ocean quahog (Arctica islandica) burrowed in sediment. ©Crown Copyright. Image provided by DOENI.
- Sandy swimming crab (Liocarcinus depurator) on offshore subtidal sands and gravels with many small polychaete worm tubes.
- Ocean quahog (Arctica islandica)and gurnard (Triglidae) on offshore subtidal sands and gravels. ©JNCC/Marine Scotland Science.
- Soft coral (Alcyonium ssp.) colonised by zoanthids and feather duster worm (Sabellidae ssp.), as well as a moon snail egg case and many small polychaete worm tubes on rippled offshore subtidal sands and gravels in East of Gannet and Montrose Fields. © JNCC/Marine Scotland Science.
- Large anemone (Bolocera tuediae) providing shelter for caridean shrimp (Caridea ssp.) on offshore subtidal sands and gravels in East of Gannet and Montrose Fields Nature Conservation MPA. © JNCC/Marine Scotland Science.
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