Eddystone Reef Camera Survey Summary Report 2014-2017
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EDDYSTONE REEF CAMERA SURVEY SUMMARY REPORT 2014-2017 Stephen K. Pikesley Jean-Luc Solandt Colin Trundle Matthew J. Witt December 2017 All data remain copyright of the project partners. Maps or data within this report may not be used or referenced without the explicit written consent of the data owners. EDDYSTONE REEF CAMERA SURVEY SUMMARY REPORT 2014-2017 Executive summary The Eddystone Reef is part of the Start Point to Plymouth Sound and Eddystone Special Area of Conservation (SAC). In January 2014 management measures were introduced to prohibit bottom-towed fisheries from using key areas within the SAC, thereby creating a mosaic of protected areas that may provide protection to vulnerable reef-associated species. Ideally, newly established protected areas should be monitored over time to observe change in biological communities attributable to adopted management strategies. This project is a collaborative partnership between the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (CIFCA) and the University of Exeter (UoE); funded by the Pig Shed Trust (2014-2016, and 2020) and Princess Yachts (2017-2019). The principal aim of this project is to monitor and record changes to benthic communities in these newly protected areas. This report details survey activities for the first four years of the project, 2014-2017. Drop-down camera surveys in 2017 produced 235 images of the seabed that allowed identification of 664 benthic organisms (n = 27 species identified to highest generic species classification). Surveys in 2016 produced 406 images that allowed identification of 1387 benthic organisms (n = 26 species: highest generic species classification). Surveys in 2015 produced 428 images that allowed identification of 1542 benthic organisms (n = 27 species) and surveys conducted in 2014 resulted in 214 images which yielded 372 benthic organisms (n = 22 species). Surveys in 2015, 2016 and 2017 have built on the library of seabed images gathered for the Eddystone Reef complex based on primary surveys in 2014. Continued monitoring throughout 2018-2019 will likely improve the robustness of any findings regarding seabed communities in the region and any changes thereof, as response to management regimes in place at the site. 1 EDDYSTONE REEF CAMERA SURVEY SUMMARY REPORT 2014-2017 Contents Executive summary 1 Introduction 3 Aims & Objectives 5 Method 6 Results 9 Discussion 29 Appendices Appendix 1: Species identification confidence 31 Appendix 2: Substratum and image quality 32 Appendix 3: Data table for Figs. 12 and 13 33 2 EDDYSTONE REEF CAMERA SURVEY SUMMARY REPORT 2014-2017 Introduction On the 1st of January 2014 Cornwall Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority (CIFCA) Closed Areas European Marine Sites (EMS) Byelaw came into force, this prohibited the use of bottom-towed fishing gear within EMS throughout the district. One such area that benefited from protection was the Eddystone Reef complex. Eddystone Reef is situated approximately nine nautical miles off the southern coast of Cornwall (South West UK) and comprises part of the Start Point to Plymouth Sound and Eddystone Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The Eddystone Reef was subsequently zoned to protect key site features (Figure 1). The local seabed habitats are too deep (at over 45 m) to safely deploy SCUBA divers to monitor the effects of the fisheries closure, hence remote survey techniques have been employed to gather data. The benthic habitats of the Eddystone Reef provide an important opportunity to use remote seabed video and drop-down camera surveys to monitor and to quantify the response of these benthic ecosystems following the cessation of bottom-towed fishing effort. A multi-partner collaborative consortium, led by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), with CIFCA and the University of Exeter (UoE), have undertaken to survey these newly protected habitats to monitor for long- term changes to the seabed as it is released from towed gear fishing pressure. As well as gaining insight into the recovery of these habitats it is anticipated this project will foster a collaborative working relationship between NGOs, regulators and others (such as Universities, and Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies) that will provide a progressive, more cohesive approach to UK marine conservation. In this report, we detail data collection and seabed image metadata analysis for the first four years of the project at the Eddystone Reef complex. 3 EDDYSTONE REEF CAMERA SURVEY SUMMARY REPORT 2014-2017 Figure 1. Eddystone Special Area of Conservation (SAC) study area. (a) Eddystone SAC (grey polygon) in relation to Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (CIFCA) district boundary (broken line polygon) in south eastern Cornwall. Part (a) is located according to the inset (b). (c) Eddystone SAC detailing areas closed to bottom-towed gear (red hatched polygon) and areas with no gear restrictions (green hatched polygon). In all parts 50 m isobath is drawn and labelled; survey boxes are drawn as blue polygons and labelled in part (c). All map parts are drawn to differing spatial scales. Maps drawn to Projected Coordinate System: British National Grid Transverse Mercator. 4 EDDYSTONE REEF CAMERA SURVEY SUMMARY REPORT 2014-2017 Aims & Objectives Aims of the project 1. To identify any changes to the seabed habitats of Eddystone Reef, subject to new management restrictions of bottom-towed fishing gears. 2. To identify patterns in the diversity and abundance of sessile and mobile species and commercial species that are recorded during seabed photographic surveys. 3. To collaboratively report the results of the surveys to the local interest groups/stakeholders to illustrate the effects of management measures on commercial and biodiversity interests in Cornish waters. Objectives of the project 1. Analyse high-resolution photographic imagery of habitats, and the change in the extent and type of habitat over time that are subject to management measures. 2. To highlight how management of bottom-towed fishing gears might result in changes to seabed species and habitats. 3. To foster greater co-ordinated working between regulators, conservation advisors and NGOs, in light of new progressive spatial management of heavy impact mobile fishing gears. 5 EDDYSTONE REEF CAMERA SURVEY SUMMARY REPORT 2014-2017 Method Survey design Surveys of the seabed were undertaken within three survey boxes (0.44 km2 each) using drop-down camera survey techniques. Prior to 2014 the seafloor area circumscribed by box 1 (treatment area) was open to fisheries deploying bottom towed gear, primarily scallop dredges. Following the introduction of new management measures (1st January 2014) this box, and adjacent reef habitat, were closed to bottom towed fisheries. The box is situated within the Eddystone SAC and encompasses known rocky reef and circalittoral mixed sediment habitats with seabed depths of approx. 50 m. Box 2 lies within close proximity to the Eddystone SAC (approx 0.25 km north) and is located within a region that has experienced no change in management regime; it lies approx 1.5 km west-northwest of box 1, and is considered the near reference area. Box 3 is situated approx 11.5 km west- northwest of box 1. Box 3 is considered a distant reference area in the experimental design; similarily it has experienced no change in management measures. Both boxes 2 and 3 encompass similarly comprised rock and circalitoral mixed sediment habitats with seabed depths of approx. 50 m. For all boxes, intial surveys where underatken within 6/7 months during the first year that new fisheries management measures were introduced. This experimental approach allows for a pseudo ‘Beyond BACI’ (Before/After and Control/Impact) approach to be adopted by monitoring habitats within close proximity, with and without management, whilst monitoring a similarily comprised habitat, without management, at a distance, thereby removed from localised influences. Data collection Drop-down camera surveys were conducted in June/July 2014, July 2015, July/October 2016 and July/August 2017 (see Tables 1,2,3 and 4 for survey metadata). Photographic images were collected in accordance with the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (CIFCA) 2014 Field Report V0.3 (2014), 2015 Eddystone Field Report July 2015 V0.2 (2015), Eddystone Field Report 20160718 V0.3 (2016), Eddystone Field Report 20161010 V0.2 (2016), Eddystone Field Report 20170704 (2017) and Eddystone Field Report 20170825 (2017) (see seperate reports). Survey transect methodology in 2015, 2016 and 2017 mirrored that established during 2014. Where possible, the spatial footprint of annual survey transects took advantage of the maximum spatial extent of the relevant survey box 6 EDDYSTONE REEF CAMERA SURVEY SUMMARY REPORT 2014-2017 (Figure 2,3 and 4). In 2014, images of very poor quality (image excessively blurred due to camera movement or seabed obscured by sediment suspension) were removed from the stills catalogue before these data were transfered to the University of Exeter (UoE) for analysis. In 2015, 2016 and 2017 all images were transferred to UoE for analysis irrespective of image quality. Camera stills analysis Analysis of the still images gathered in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 was undertaken as follows. Images without spatial reference (no longitude or latitude recorded), or where no movement of the camera frame had been recorded (no change in location between successive images), or where the camera frame was not positioned