Coasts and seas of the United Kingdom Region 17 Northern Ireland edited by J.H. Barne, C.F. Robson, S.S. Kaznowska, J.P. Doody, N.C. Davidson & A.L. Buck Joint Nature Conservation Committee Monkstone House, City Road Peterborough PE1 1JY UK ©JNCC 1997 This volume has been produced by the Coastal Directories Project of the JNCC on behalf of the project Steering Group. JNCC Coastal Directories Project Team Project directors Dr J.P. Doody, Dr N.C. Davidson Project management and co-ordination J.H. Barne, C.F. Robson Editing and publication S.S. Kaznowska, A.L. Buck Administration & editorial assistance J. Plaza, N.M. Stevenson, R.M. Sumerling, P.A. Smith The project receives guidance from a Steering Group which has more than 200 members. More detailed information and advice comes from the members of the Core Steering Group, which is composed as follows: Dr J.M. Baxter Scottish Natural Heritage R.J. Bleakley Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland, Environment and Heritage Service R. Bradley The Association of Sea Fisheries Committees of England and Wales Dr J.P. Doody Joint Nature Conservation Committee B. Empson Environment Agency C. Gilbert Kent County Council & National Coasts and Estuaries Advisory Group N. Hailey English Nature Dr K. Hiscock Joint Nature Conservation Committee Prof. S.J. Lockwood MAFF Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences (CEFAS) (formerly MAFF Directorate of Fisheries Research) C.R. Macduff-Duncan Esso UK (on behalf of the UK Offshore Operators Association) Dr D.J. Murison Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment & Fisheries Department Dr H.J. Prosser Welsh Office Dr J.S. Pullen WWF-UK (Worldwide Fund for Nature) Dr P.C. Reid Plymouth Marine Laboratory Dr M.J. Roberts Water Resources and Marine, Department of the Environment S.L. Soffe Countryside Council for Wales M.L. Tasker Joint Nature Conservation Committee R.G. Woolmore Countryside Commission Recommended citation for this volume: Barne, J.H., Robson, C.F., Kaznowska, S.S., Doody, J.P., Davidson, N.C., & Buck, A.L., eds. 1997. Coasts and seas of the United Kingdom. Region 17. Northern Ireland. Peterborough, Joint Nature Conservation Committee. (Coastal Directories Series.) Recommended citation for a chapter in this volume (example): Buck, A.L. 1997. Chapter 4.1 Estuaries. In: Coasts and seas of the United Kingdom. Region 17. Northern Ireland, ed. by J.H. Barne, C.F. Robson, S.S. Kaznowska, J.P. Doody, N.C. Davidson & A.L. Buck, 63-65. Peterborough, Joint Nature Conservation Committee. (Coastal Directories Series.) Region 1: ISBN 1 873701 75 6 Region 10: ISBN 1 873701 84 5 Region 2: ISBN 1 873701 76 4 Region 11: ISBN 1 873701 85 3 Region 3: ISBN 1 873701 77 2 Region 12: ISBN 1 873701 86 1 Region 4: ISBN 1 873701 78 0 Region 13: ISBN 1 873701 87 x Region 5: ISBN 1 873701 79 9 Region 14: ISBN 1 873701 88 8 Region 6: ISBN 1 873701 80 2 Regions 15 & 16: ISBN 1 873701 89 6 Region 7: ISBN 1 873701 81 0 Region 17: ISBN 1 873701 92 6 Region 8: ISBN 1 873701 82 9 Region 9: ISBN 1 873701 83 7 Set of 17 regions: ISBN 1 873701 91 8 2 Contents Foreword 5 How to use this book 6 Acknowledgements 7 Chapter 1 Overview 9 1.1 The Coastal Directories Project Dr J.P. Doody 9 1.2 Introduction to the region Dr J.P. Doody & R.J. Bleakley 13 Chapter 2 Geology and physical environment WS Atkins - Northern Ireland 19 2.1 Coastal geology 19 2.2 Offshore geology 23 2.3 Wind and water 28 2.4 Sediment transport 33 2.5 Sea-level rise and flooding 36 2.6 Coastal landforms 37 Chapter 3 Terrestrial coastal habitats Dr A. Cooper & C. Butler 41 3.1 Cliffs and cliff-top vegetation 43 3.2 Sand dunes 47 3.3 Vegetated shingle structures and shorelines 51 3.4 Coastal lagoons 53 3.5 Wet grassland 55 3.6 Saltmarsh 58 Chapter 4 Marine and estuarine environments 63 4.1 Estuaries A.L. Buck 63 4.2 The sea bed Dr D.G. Erwin 66 4.3 Plankton M. Edwards & A.W.G. John 71 Chapter 5 Important species 75 5.1 Terrestrial lower plants N.F. Stewart 75 5.2 Flowering plants and ferns P. Hackney 80 5.3 Land and freshwater invertebrates B.H. Nelson & Dr R. Anderson 85 5.4 Rare sea-bed species Dr D.G. Erwin 89 5.5 Exploited sea-bed species Dr R.P. Briggs 96 5.6 Amphibians and reptiles Prof. W.I. Montgomery 100 5.7 Fish: exploited sea fish Dr M.J. Armstrong & Dr M. Dickey-Collas 102 5.8 Fish: salmon, sea trout and eels C.F. Robson 107 5.9 Fish: other species S.E. Swaby & Dr G.W. Potts 109 5.10 Seabirds C.W. Murphy 111 5.11 Other breeding birds C.W. Murphy 115 5.12 Migrant and wintering waterfowl C.W. Murphy 118 5.13 Land mammals Prof. W.I. Montgomery 122 5.14 Seals R.J. Bleakley 125 5.15 Whales, dolphins and porpoises Dr P.G.H. Evans 129 3 Chapter 6 History and archaeology M. McAuley 133 Chapter 7 Coastal protected sites R.J. Bleakley, R.G. Keddie & S.M. Close 145 7.1 Introduction 145 7.2 Sites designated under international conventions and directives 148 7.3 Sites established under national statute 151 7.4 Sites identified by statutory agencies 156 7.5 Other types of protected site 159 Chapter 8 Land use, infrastructure and WS Atkins - Northern Ireland 163 coastal defence 8.1 Introduction 163 8.2 Land use 164 8.3 Infrastructure 166 8.4 Coastal defence 170 Chapter 9 Human activities 173 9.1 Fisheries H.M.C. McCaughan & C.F. Robson 173 9.2 Mariculture H.M.C. McCaughan & C.F. Robson 182 9.3 Quarrying and landfilling Dr G.H. Nevin 185 9.4 Marine aggregate extraction, dredging Dr G.H. Nevin 188 and solid waste disposal at sea 9.5 Oil and gas developments Dr G.H. Nevin 190 9.6 Water quality and effluent discharges Dr G.H. Nevin & S. McLaughlin 192 9.7 Leisure and tourism D. Noë-Murphy 196 Chapter 10 Coastal management R.J. Bleakley & I. Basu 201 10.1 Introduction 201 10.2 National coastal initiatives with regional elements 202 10.3 Regional coastal management groups and initiatives 206 Appendix 213 A.1 Frequently cited contact names and addresses 213 A.2 Local planning authorities; ports and harbour authorities 215 A.3 Core reading list 216 A.4 Contributing authors 217 4 Foreword Information is vital for sound policy formulation. Decision in collating the information, their variety reflecting the extent makers at national and local level need to know more than of the interplay between the coastal environment and human just the scale, location and importance of natural resources activities. These organisations included the Ministry of that are of value to humans. They have to understand how Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Scottish Office, the human activities affect the value of those resources and how Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (DoE to conduct those activities in an environmentally sustainable (NI)) Environment and Heritage Service, the Environment way. This is true for virtually every activity that impinges Agency, the Countryside Commission, the Welsh Office, the on the natural environment. In the coastal zone the Department of the Environment, the Sea Fisheries complexity of the relationships between the physical and Committees, English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and biological systems adds another dimension to the problems the Countryside Council for Wales, together with local of formulating management policy. authorities, voluntary conservation organisations and I am pleased, therefore, to be introducing the Coasts and private companies (notably those in the oil industry, through seas of the United Kingdom series. The Coastal Directories the UK Offshore Operators Association). I am also pleased project, of which this series of seventeen regional reports, to be able to acknowledge the contribution made by the staff covering the whole of the UK coast, is an important product, of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. As the work has brought together an encyclopaedic range of information has evolved since the first meetings of the Steering Group in on our coastal resources and the human activities that are 1990, the value of involving such a broad span of interests associated with them. Amongst the topics covered are the has been highlighted by the extent to which it has allowed basic geology of the coasts around the United Kingdom and new approaches and information sources to be identified. measures taken for coast defence and sea protection, the The regional reports will be of value to all who live and distribution and importance of the wildlife and habitats of work in the maritime areas of the UK, where informed our coasts and seas, including fish and fisheries, and the management is the key to the sustainable use of resources. climate and sea level changes to which they all are subject. The reports should become indispensable reference sources In addition to the value of the information itself, the way for organisations shouldering new or expanded the project has been run and the data collected has made an responsibilities for the management of Special Areas of important contribution to the quality of the product. A wide Conservation under the EC Habitats & Species Directive. In range of individuals and organisations concerned with the addition, the reports will make an important contribution to conservation and use of the coastal margin have collaborated the implementation of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.