The table to the right shows how many Phylum Common Name Number Common Species species were recorded in each group of Species and some of the most widely distributed species. Porifera Sponges 38 Elephant hide sponge Pacymatisma johnstonia Sponges Golf ball sponge Tethya A wide diversity of sponges were aurantium recorded. Prominent amongst the Boring sponge Cliona larger sponges were the Boring celata Yellow branching sponge Axinella sponge and Elephant hide sponge. dissimilis A number of rarer sponges were Cnidaria Anemones, corals, 41 Dead men's fingers Alcyonium found including the white Thymosia digitatum guernei (Inner East Rutts), the long hydroids, jellyfish Sea beardNemertesia antennina and N. orange fingers of Adreus fasicularis ramosa Devonshire cup coral Caryophyllia (Turbot Ground) - below; and the cup smithii shaped Axinella infundibuliformis Platyhelminthes Flatworms 1 (Hilsea Point and South of Erme Annelida Segmented worms 9 Fan worm Bispira Mouth), which is more commonly volutacornis foundsponge, in theAdreus north. fasicularis CW Crustacea Crabs, lobsters, barnacles 12 Spiny spider crab Maja squinado Mollusca Shells, sea slugs, cuttlefish 23 Sea hare Aplysia punctatum Nudibranch Limacia clavigera Bryozoa Sea mats 22 Finger bryozoan Alcyonidium diaphanum Potato crisp bryozoan Pentapora foliacea Phoronida Horseshoe worms 1 Echinodermata Starfish, sea urchins, 16 Bloody henry Henricia Anemones, Corals, Hydroids & oculata Jellyfish Bryozoans and Sea slugs Crabs and Lobsters This was the most diverse group of Sea mats were a very important Crabs and lobster were not common anywhere in South Devon Reefs Survey animals recorded - 41 different component of the fauna on the the survey area. The spiny spider crab Maja species. offshore sites in particular. Amongst squinado, was recorded most often (from 11 Hydroids were very common (20 the larger species, colonies of Potato sites) but was never more than occasional in July 2003 diver and species) especially the sea beards crisp bryozoans were common and occurrence. female cuckoo sea fan RH Nemertesia antenninaand N. ramosa . smaller species such asCellaria and wrasse CW Amongst the rarer hydroids Crisia were common or abundant at Fishes Summary Report Gymnangium montagui occured at a many sites. The most common fishes in the study area were number of offshore sites and was There were a number of species of wrasses with four species found at most sites common south of Soar Mill Cove. sea slug feeding on the bryozoans. (Ballan and Cuckoo wrasse, Rock cook and Amongst uncommon anemones was Limacia clavigera was found on Goldsinny). Fishes from the cod family were also the Yellow cluster anemone, Flustra foliceaand Acanthodoris common with Pollack and Poor cod seen at a Parazoanthus anxinellae, and the pilosaon Alcyonidium . Altogether 9 number of sites. Bib and Poor cod were very rare Sea fan anemone, different sea slugs were recorded and abundant on the wreck of the Persier. Amongst Ampthianthus dohrnii, found on a the rarer fishes were Ling (Persier), Angler fish single sea fan in the sea fan ‘forest’ on the wreck of the Persier. Nationally Rare and Scarce species Pink sea fans were common on many of the offshore sites and abundant on Species Designation Where found the Persier. However in very similar Sponge rare Turbot Ground. Occasional Adreus fasicularis conditions nearby, south of Wells potato crisp bryozoan CW Sponge scarce Inner East Rutts. Rare Rock, the population was in very poor Thymosia guernei overgrown sea fan RH Starfish, Sea urchins Sponge scarce S of Erme Mouth, S of Wells and Sea cucumbers Rock All of these echinoderms Axinella damicornis Burgh Island Pinnacle, Rare were regularly reported Pink sea fan scarce/BAP Most offshore sites. Abundant Eunicella verrucosa on the Persier thornback ray RH Gymnangium montagui and the spiny starfish, Yellow cluster anemone scarce Hilsea Point only hydroid, CW Marthasterias glacialis, Parazoanthus axinellae was the only species Trumpet anemone scarce South of Erme Mouth. Frequent recorded from every site. Aiptasia mutabilis Three species of Sea fan anemone rare//BAP Persier only. Rare burrowing sea cucumbers

This Seasearch survey was organised as a part of the Marine Seasearch is a volunteer underwater survey project for Conservation Society’s Member’s Dives Programme. recreational divers to contribute to the conservation of the Surveyors taking part were: Laura Heape, Rohan marine environment. Financial support for the project during Holt, Lizzie Jolley, Brod Mason, Josie Pegg, 2003 and for the production of this summary report has been Kirsten Ramsay, Sally Sharrock, Peter Tinsley, Karen Williams and Chris Wood. We would like to thank Alan House (Kara-C) and Dave Booker (Amoco) for taking us where we wanted to go. This report has been prepared by Chris Wood.

rock life RH football sea squirt CW Hilsea Point Rock overall this site was the one with the Erme Mouth species of sponge and a Wells Rock highest diversity (89 species). Hilsea Point is an unusual site in that it has many of This group of four number of species not The site at Wells Rock (Site 7) The site further south (Site 8) was the characteristics of the offshore reefs, but yet is shallower sites are all off seen at other sites, was south of the highest point and chosen because a survey in 1996 very close inshore. The main feature is a deep and the mouth of the River including the Trumpet consisted of a series of rocky had reported it to have an wide gulley which has a rich animal turf on its Erme and relatively close anemone Aiptasia ridges with patches of cobbles, exceptionally high density of Pink sides. A number of unusual species are found here inshore. Site 3 is a rocky mutabilis, which was pebbles and coarse sand sea fans. Unfortunately that is no such as the Yellow cluster anemone, site on the west side of frequent. between them. There was a rich longer the case. Whilst there were Parazoanthus axinellae, Red sea fingers, what is probably the Edwards Rock was a plant mixed algal and animal turf and still many sea fans present, Alcyonium glomeratum, and a sea fir, original river channel. dominated site where we numbers were not unusually high Gymnangium montagui. There is a rich kelp forest This has the widest recorded 35 different algal and they were in notably poor of Cuvie (Sea kelp) and Furbelows on the top of diversity of animals species, though the condition. Many colonies were the pinnacle. recorded at any of the animal life was relatively extensively fouled or overgrown by Underwater observations at this site began 50 sites. This included 17 limited. years ago and relatively little has changed. bryozoans, ascidians and other animals and some were clearly Reproduced from Admiralty chart 1613 by permission of the Controller of Her Wreck of the Persier Majesty’s Stationery Office and the UK Hydrographic Office (www.ukho.gov.uk) dying back from the base. Not to be used for navigation. Other long lived species, such as the The Persier is a cargo vessel sunk in 1945. Potato crisp bryozoan, were present Today it is mostly low lying metal plates with and the decline of the sea fans occasional recognisable pieces of wreckage, requires further study. such as the boilers. 4 5 Burgh Island Pinnacle but the lower flat surfaces are In terms of marine life it is most notable for the 3 6 dense ’forest’ of Pink sea fans. There are at This is a jagged ridge of rock 4m covered in Sea beard, a hydroid, 1 least 20 colonies per square metre and this is high of almost vertical rock strata with bright orange Potato crisp 2 7 equivalent to the densest sea fan forests found which contains many fissures and bryozoans and sea squirts. elsewhere. Also present is the very rare Sea fan 8 crevices. It is surrounded by There were occasional gullies in the anemone,Amphianthus dohrnii . flattish but equally fissured rock at flatter bedrock with flat angular 9 a depth of 25m. cobbles in their bottoms. The wreck has a large fish population, which in The top of the pinnacle at 21m is As at many sites the most common numbers of fishes exceeds any of the reef sites too deep for kelp but there are fishes were wrasses. Here in the area, though the diversity is not high. The sparse red algae. However both Goldsinny, Rock cook, Ballan most common species are Bib or Pouting and this and the lower rock surfaces wrasse and Cuckoo wrasse were all Poor cod. Also found are three other members Sites surveyed July 2003 are animal dominated. frequently seen. The fissured On the pinnacle itself are many bedrock also provided a home for of the cod family, Pollack, Ling and Cod itself. Previously recorded sites 12 Dead men’s fingers, a soft coral, conger eels.

East Rutts 10 Bolt Tail The East Rutts pinnacle is a well known site and so our survey This site was at the edge of the rocky reefs extending looked at two others nearby which had not been previously out from Bolt Tail where they run into coarse sand at a surveyed. The Inner Rutts pinnacle (Site 10) rises from deep 11 13 depth of 17-20m. Shallower surfaces had a covering water to 13m and is a known angling and potting mark. The of kelp forest and there was a band of mixed plant and reef to the south-east (Site 11) is a domed area of raised animal turf below. Upper surfaces in this band were bedrock. Both sites provide fairly open, animal dominated, 14 dominated by seaweeds such as the Sea beech habitats in clear offshore waters. Delessaria, and brown algae such as Dictyota , The Inner Rutts had the greatest diversity of sponge fauna of South of Bolt Tail vertical sides and seaweed Dictyopterisand Desmarestia . Vertical and shaded any site, including a number of uncommon species such as dominated tops. surfaces had a short animal turf in which bryozoans Dercitus bucklandi, Thymosia guernei and Homaxinella These two sites are well The animal turf at Site 14 was offshore and surrounded by dominated but the orange sea squirtStolonica was subdola. Other common species, typical of offshore sites, dominated by hydroids and also common. The sand was barren with sand eels. were sea beardsNemertesia antennina and Nemertesia deep water. Both have dead men’s fingers. At the ramosa, Pink sea fans, the Orange sea squirt Stolonica stronger tidal streams than Turbot Grounds bryozoans were socialisand the Potato crsip bryozoan Pentapora foliacea . sites in Bigbury Bay and both the dominant group (see Also present at the Inner Rutts pinnacle was the Football sea have rich animal turfs. pictures right) - the upper one squirtDiazona violacea , which is relatively rare in the English The Turbot Grounds is more with the sea slug Crimora Channel (see photo overleaf). varied with both low profile papillata feeding on hornwrack. There were a few seaweeds on the shallower part of the Inner reefs on the boundary of the The most exciting record here Rutts but no plants at all on the deeper site to the south east. sand and also huge rocks with was of a sunfish.