The Marine Life Information Network® for Britain and Ireland (MarLIN) Impact of human activities on benthic biotopes and species Report to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Contract no. CDEP 84/5/244 Dr Harvey Tyler-Walters & Dr Keith Hiscock Contractor: Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland, Marine Biological Association of the UK, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB. FINAL REPORT June 2005 (Contract period November 2001 to October 2004) Reference: Tyler-Walters, H. & Hiscock, K., 2005. Impact of human activities on benthic biotopes and species. Report to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from the Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN). Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the UK. [Contract no. CDEP 84/5/244] Impact of human activities on benthic biotopes and species MarLIN 2 Impact of human activities on benthic biotopes and species MarLIN Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................9 1. Introduction to the report ......................................................................................11 2. Background to the project.....................................................................................11 3. Contract objectives ................................................................................................11 4. Tasks and Milestones.............................................................................................13 4.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................13 4.2 Task 1. Maintain the MarLIN database and Web site..........................................13 4.3 Task 2. Contribute to the application of sensitivity information to marine environmental protection especially by promoting approaches developed in the UK in Europe..............................................................................................................................13 4.4 Task 3. Undertake further research on species and habitats that are keystone, characterizing or indicator species including species and habitats found in UK waters that are selected under the OSPAR prioritization process. .............................................17 4.5 Task 4. Develop links between sensitivity and survey data ................................17 4.6 Task 5. Identify locations of nationally important benthic species and habitats, at particular risk from pollution from accidental oil spills, to contribute to 3-yearly reviews of MEHRA’s environmental sensitivity data. ........................................................................20 4.7 Task 6. Report on programme.............................................................................20 5. Maintain the MarLIN database and Web site. ......................................................20 5.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................20 5.2 The redesigned MarLIN Web site .........................................................................21 5.2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................21 5.2.2 Pull-down menus ...........................................................................................21 5.2.3 Search tools ...................................................................................................22 5.3 The Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Database........................................23 5.4 The SEArchable BEnthic Data (SEABED) Map....................................................23 5.4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................23 5.4.2 The Data Access Sub-programme ................................................................23 5.4.3 Mapping software ..........................................................................................24 5.4.4 The SEABED Map .........................................................................................24 5.5 Use of the MarLIN Web site..................................................................................26 6. Undertake further research on species and habitats that are keystone, characterizing or indicator species .................................................................................29 6.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................29 6.2 The Biology and Sensitivity Key Information database ........................................29 6.3 Revision of benchmarks........................................................................................29 3 Impact of human activities on benthic biotopes and species MarLIN 6.3.1 Physical disturbance and abrasion ............................................................... 30 6.3.2 Changes in nutrient levels............................................................................. 30 6.4 Update of database and Key Information reviews ............................................... 30 6.5 Biology and Sensitivity Key Information research ................................................ 32 6.5.1 Priority species .............................................................................................. 32 6.5.2 Key information research completed............................................................. 33 6.5.3 OSPAR Annex V threatened and declining species ..................................... 35 6.5.4 OSPAR Annex V threatened and declining habitats..................................... 47 6.5.5 Indicator species............................................................................................ 47 7. Linking sensitivity information and marine benthic survey data ..................... 49 7.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 49 7.2 Sensitivity Mapping Advisory Group..................................................................... 50 7.3 A combined ‘sensitivity’ scale ............................................................................... 50 7.3.1 Introduction.................................................................................................... 50 7.3.2 Rationale and approach ................................................................................ 51 7.4 Updating existing scales and definitions .............................................................. 53 7.5 Review of sensitivity, intolerance and recoverability across species and biotopes . .............................................................................................................................. 54 7.6 Assessing sensitivities at the biotope complex, lifeform, and habitat complex levels .............................................................................................................................. 60 7.7 Sensitivity mapping in marine environmental management................................. 61 7.7.1 Introduction.................................................................................................... 61 7.7.2 Irish Sea Pilot trial sensitivity maps............................................................... 61 7.7.3 CCW trial of sensitivity maps in oil spill response......................................... 68 7.7.4 CEFAS contract to identify offshore biotope complexes and their sensitivities. ....................................................................................................................... 73 7.8 Benefits and limitations of sensitivity mapping in environmental management... 76 8. Conclusions............................................................................................................ 79 9. Recommendations ................................................................................................. 83 10. References .............................................................................................................. 85 11. Publications ............................................................................................................ 88 4 Impact of human activities on benthic biotopes and species MarLIN List of Figures Figure 1. The MarLIN Data Access Sub-programme data structure.................................24 Figure 2. SEABED Map. Example search for survey data for Mytilus edulis, Modiolus modiolus and Atrina fragilis...........................................................................................25 Figure 3. SEABED Map. Comparative distribution of Sabellaria alveolata and Sabellaria spinulosa (left), with close-up of the north Irish Sea (right). .........................................25 Figure 4. SEABED Map. Species list for an individual survey point. ...............................26 Figure 5. SEABED Map. Histogram of relative species abundance within survey sample. ......................................................................................................................................27 Figure 6. The top twenty countries of origin of our users (excluding the USA).................28 Figure 7. The range of different organization types using the Web site............................28 Figure 8. Range of species information on the MarLIN Web site (October 2004). ...........34 Figure 9. Number of research biotopes representative of the interest features of the EC Habitats