JNCC Coastal Directories Project Team
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Coasts and seas of the United Kingdom Region 11 The Western Approaches: Falmouth Bay to Kenfig 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 1996 This volume has been produced by the Coastal Directories Project of the JNCC on behalf of the project Steering Group and supported by WWF-UK. 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, J.C. Brooksbank, A.L. Buck Administration & editorial assistance C.A. Smith, R. Keddie, J. Plaza, S. Palasiuk, N.M. Stevenson The project receives guidance from a Steering Group which has more than 200 members. More detailed information and advice came 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, Northern Ireland R. Bradley The Association of Sea Fisheries Committees of England and Wales Dr J.P. Doody Joint Nature Conservation Committee B. Empson Environment Agency Dr K. Hiscock Joint Nature Conservation Committee C. Gilbert Kent County Council & National Coasts and Estuaries Advisory Group Prof. S.J. Lockwood 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 (World Wide Fund for Nature) N. Hailey English 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. 1996. Coasts and seas of the United Kingdom. Region 11 The Western Approaches: Falmouth Bay to Kenfig. Peterborough, Joint Nature Conservation Committee. (Coastal Directories Series.) Recommended citation for a chapter in this volume (example): Davidson, N.C. 1996. Chapter 4.1 Estuaries. In: Coasts and seas of the United Kingdom. Region 11 The Western Approaches: Falmouth Bay to Kenfig, ed. by J.H. Barne, C.F. Robson, S.S. Kaznowska, J.P. Doody, N.C. Davidson & A.L. Buck, 63-67. 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 Dr J.P. Doody 9 1.1 The Coastal Directories Project 9 1.2 Introduction to the region 13 Chapter 2 Geology and physical environment British Geological Survey 19 2.1 Coastal geology 19 2.2 Offshore geology 23 2.3 Wind and water 27 2.4 Sediment transport 31 2.5 Sea-level rise and flooding 34 2.6 Coastal landforms 36 Chapter 3 Terrestrial coastal habitats 39 3.1 Cliffs and cliff-top vegetation Dr T.C.D. Dargie 41 3.2 Sand dunes Dr T.C.D. Dargie 45 3.3 Vegetated shingle structures and shorelines Dr R.E. Randall 49 3.4 Coastal lagoons Dr R.N. Bamber & Dr R.S.K. Barnes 52 3.5 Wet grassland Dr H.T. Gee 54 3.6 Saltmarsh Dr M.I. Hill 58 Chapter 4 Marine and estuarine environments 63 4.1 Estuaries Dr N.C. Davidson 63 4.2 The sea bed R.A. Irving 68 4.3 Plankton M. Edwards & A.W.G. John 76 Chapter 5 Important species 79 5.1 Terrestrial lower plants N.G. Hodgetts 79 5.2 Flowering plants and ferns V.M. Morgan 84 5.3 Land and freshwater invertebrates A.P. Foster & M.S. Parsons 89 5.4 Rare sea-bed species Dr W.G. Sanderson 98 5.5 Exploited sea-bed species Dr M.G. Pawson & C.F. Robson 108 5.6 Amphibians and reptiles Dr M.J.S. Swan 113 5.7 Fish: exploited sea fish Dr M.G. Pawson & C.F. Robson 118 5.8 Fish: salmon, sea trout and eels Dr M. Aprahamian & C.F. Robson 124 5.9 Fish: other species Dr G.W. Potts & S.E. Swaby 127 5.10 Seabirds M.L. Tasker 130 5.11 Other breeding birds D.M. Craddock & D.A. Stroud 133 5.12 Migrant and wintering waterfowl D.M. Craddock & D.A. Stroud 137 5.13 Land mammals Dr C.E. Turtle & K. Meakin 143 5.14 Seals C.D. Duck 146 5.15 Whales, dolphins and porpoises Dr P.G.H. Evans 149 3 Chapter 6 History and archaeology A. Gale & V. Fenwick 153 Chapter 7 Coastal protected sites R.G. Keddie 165 7.1 Introduction 165 7.2 Sites designated under international conventions and directives 167 7.3 Sites established under national statute 171 7.4 Sites identified by statutory agencies 177 7.5 Other types of protected site 181 Chapter 8 Land use, infrastructure and coastal defence 187 8.1 Introduction S.L. Fowler, M.J. Dunbar, C.A. Crumpton & M.J. Goodwin 187 8.2 Land use S.L. Fowler & M.J. Dunbar 188 8.3 Infrastructure S.L. Fowler, M.J. Dunbar, C.A. Crumpton & M.J. Goodwin 193 8.4 Coastal defence S.L. Fowler 200 Chapter 9 Human activities 205 9.1 Fisheries C.F. Robson 205 9.2 Mariculture C.F. Robson 215 9.3 Quarrying and landfilling C.A. Crumpton & M.J. Goodwin 219 9.4 Marine aggregate extraction, dredging and solid waste disposal at sea C.A. Crumpton & M.J. Goodwin 223 9.5 Oil and gas developments M.J. Goodwin & C.A. Crumpton 228 9.6 Water quality and effluent discharges C.A. Crumpton & M.J. Goodwin 231 9.7 Leisure and tourism M.J. Dunbar & S.L. Fowler 237 Chapter 10 Coastal management S.L. Fowler 245 10.1 Introduction 245 10.2 National coastal initiatives with regional elements 246 10.3 Regional coastal management groups and initiatives 250 Appendix 259 A.1 Frequently cited contact names and addresses 259 A.2 Local planning authorities; ports and harbour authorities 260 A.3 Core reading list 261 A.4 Contributing authors 262 4 Foreword Information is vital for sound policy formulation. Decision collaborated in collating the information, their variety makers at national and local level need to know more than reflecting the extent of the interplay between the coastal just the scale, location and importance of natural resources environment and human activities. These organisations that are of value to humans. They have to understand how included the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, human activities affect the value of those resources and how the Scottish Office, the Department of the Environment to conduct those activities in an environmentally sustainable (Northern Ireland), the National Rivers Authority (now the way. This is true for virtually every activity that impinges Environment Agency), the Countryside Commission, the on the natural environment. In the coastal zone the Welsh Office, the Department of the Environment, the Sea complexity of the relationships between the physical and Fisheries Committees, English Nature, Scottish Natural biological systems adds another dimension to the problems Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales, together of formulating management policy. with local authorities, voluntary conservation organisations and private companies (notably those in the oil industry, I am pleased, therefore, to be introducing the Coasts and seas through the UK Offshore Operators Association). I am also of the United Kingdom series. The Coastal Directories project, pleased to be able to acknowledge the contribution made by of which this series of seventeen regional reports, covering the staff of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. As the whole of the UK coast, is an important product, has the work has evolved since the first meetings of the Steering brought together an encyclopaedic range of information on Group in 1990, the value of involving such a broad span of our coastal resources and the human activities that are interests has been highlighted by the extent to which it has associated with them. Amongst the topics covered are the allowed new approaches and information sources to be basic geology of the coasts around the United Kingdom and identified. measures taken for coast defence and sea protection, the distribution and importance of the wildlife and habitats of The regional reports will be of value to all who live and our coasts and seas, including fish and fisheries, and the work in the maritime areas of the UK, where informed climate and sea level changes to which they all are subject. management is the key to the sustainable use of resources. The reports should become indispensable reference sources In addition to the value of the information itself, the way the for organisations shouldering new or expanded 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.