ENERGY WORKING FOR BRITAIN FOR WORKING ENERGY Wylfa Newydd Project 6.4.86 ES Volume D - WNDA Development App D13-4 - Fish Surveys Report PINS Reference Number: EN010007 Application Reference Number: 6.4.86 June 2018 Revision 1.0 Regulation Number: 5(2)(a) Planning Act 2008 Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009 Horizon Internal DCRM Number: WN0902-JAC-PAC-APP-00166 [This page is intentionally blank] . Wylfa Newydd Project Horizon Nuclear Power Wylfa Limited Fish Survey Report 60PO8007/AQE/REP/003 | 4 26 May 2017 WN03.01.01-S5-PAC-REP-00021 Fish Sur vey R eport Horizon N uclear Power Wylfa Li mited Fish Survey Report Wylfa Newydd Project Project no: 60PO8032 Document title: Fish Survey Report Document No.: 60PO8007/AQE/REP/003 Revision: 4 Date: 26 May 2017 Client name: Horizon Nuclear Power Wylfa Limited Client no: WN03.01.01-S5-PAC-REP-00021 Project manager: Robert Bromley Author: M. Doggett, C. Trigg & H.Young Jacobs U.K. Limited Kenneth Dibben House Enterprise Road, Southampton Science Park Chilworth, Southampton SO16 7NS United Kingdom T +44 (0)23 8011 1250 F +44 (0)23 8011 1251 www.jacobs.com © Copyright 2018 Jacobs U.K. Limited. The concepts and information contained in this document are the property of Jacobs. Use or copying of this document in whole or in part without the written permission of Jacobs constitutes an infringement of copyright. Limitation: This report has been prepared on behalf of, and for the exclusive use of Jacobs’ Client, and is subject to, and issued in accordance with, the provisions of the contract between Jacobs and the Client. Jacobs accepts no liability or responsibility whatsoever for, or in respect of, any use of, or reliance upon, this report by any third party. Document history and status Revision Date Description By Review Approved 1 01/01/2014 Fish Survey Report (2010 – 2013 data) MD, CT, EC MR RB 2 01/02/2015 Fish Survey Report (2010 – 2014 data) MD, CT, EC, HY MR RB 3 04/04/2016 Fish Survey Report (2010 – 2015 data) FP JB RB 4 26/05/2017 Fish Survey Report- preparation for submission as HY RW RB appendix to ES. 60PO8007/AQE/REP/003 i Fish Survey Report Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................... 1 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 3 1.1 Overview ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 The Project .................................................................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Site Description ........................................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Study Aims and Objectives ......................................................................................................................... 4 1.5 Study Area ................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.6 Fish Surveys ................................................................................................................................................ 5 1.7 Literature Review ......................................................................................................................................... 5 2. Ichthyoplankton Communities ................................................................................................................. 9 2.1 Methodology ................................................................................................................................................ 9 2.2 Results ....................................................................................................................................................... 12 2.3 Comparison to Published Literature .......................................................................................................... 24 2.4 Discussion of Ichthyoplankton Communities ............................................................................................. 32 3. Intertidal Fish Communities ................................................................................................................... 35 3.1 Seine net and Potting Surveys .................................................................................................................. 35 3.2 Diver Surveys ............................................................................................................................................ 60 3.3 Discussion of Intertidal Fish Communities ................................................................................................ 66 4. Subtidal Fish and Shellfish Communities............................................................................................. 71 4.1 Methodology .............................................................................................................................................. 71 4.2 Results ....................................................................................................................................................... 73 4.3 Comparison to Published Literature .......................................................................................................... 94 4.4 Discussion of Subtidal Fish and Shellfish Communities ......................................................................... 107 5. Overall Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 112 5.1 Species of Conservation Importance ...................................................................................................... 115 6. Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................... 116 7. References ............................................................................................................................................. 119 Fish Survey Programme ............................................................................................................. 123 Statistical Glossary and Methodologies ................................................................................... 129 Results of Ichthyoplankton Statistics ....................................................................................... 133 Presence/Absence of fish taxa................................................................................................... 138 Feeding Guilds Explained ........................................................................................................... 141 Results of Intertidal Survey Statistics ....................................................................................... 142 Results of Subtidal Survey Statistics ........................................................................................ 162 60PO8007/AQE/REP/003 ii Fish Survey Report Executive Summary Jacobs UK Limited (Jacobs) was commissioned by Horizon Nuclear Power Wylfa Limited (Horizon) to undertake a full marine ecological survey programme within the vicinity of the proposed new Nuclear Power Station (the Wylfa Newydd Power Station) on north Anglesey. This report summarises the fish surveys that took place between spring (April) 2010 and autumn (November) 2015. Baseline fish surveys were carried out with the aim of assessing the prevailing environmental and ecological conditions and to enable assessments of the predicted impacts of the Wylfa Newydd Power Station within the final Environmental Statement. The fish survey programme used a multi-method approach to characterise fish communities from a variety of habitats. In total, the baseline surveys reported here have recorded 111 fish to genus or species level. Ichthyoplankton (fish larvae) sampling was completed at seven sites along the north Anglesey coast. The greatest abundance of larvae was observed in April and May following the spring spawning of various species. The ichthyoplankton samples were dominated by sandeel (Ammodytidae) and consisted mainly of inshore species such as gobies (Gobiidae) and flatfish (Pleuronectidae). The ichthyoplankton samples did not contain significantly high numbers of the commercially exploited species whiting and cod; however, numbers of Clupeidae (represent mainly by sprat) represented approximately 11% of the larvae collected. The data suggest the presence of low intensity sandeel spawning grounds inshore within the Wylfa Newydd Development Area, compared to high intensity area identified offshore and in the eastern Irish Sea. Inshore abundances of other dominant ichthyoplankton species (i.e. sprat, dab and dragonets) were also much lower than those reported for the eastern Irish Sea and further offshore. Intertidal surveys used seine nets to sample fish from 11 sandy and mixed-substrate beaches between Traeth Mawr near Holyhead in the west and Traeth Bychen in the east. Fish traps sampled fish from two rocky bays along the north coast (Porth-y-pistyll and Porth Wen). Diving surveys helped to fill knowledge gaps for the rocky coastline between intertidal sampling areas. Clupeids,