Outer Bristol Channel marine habitat study : 2003 investigations and results

This report describes the investigations undertaken by the British Geological Survey (BGS) and the National Museums and Galleries of Wales (NMGW) during 2003 for the Outer Bristol Channel Marine Habitat Study, and the results and interpretations completed by March 2004 for the elements of the study funded by the Sustainable Land Won and Marine Dredged Aggregate Minerals Programme of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The complete study is a three year programme which is planned to end in March 2006. The other principal funder of the study is the Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund for Wales, which is administered by the Welsh Assembly Government. The Crown Estate and the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association have also supported the study with some funding and contributions of data. Pressure on marine resources in the Bristol Channel continues to develop with a number of issues including aggregates, fisheries and wind farm developments. There are also legislative obligations with regard to marine conservation, in a European context with the Habitats Directive and in national initiatives such as the designation of Carmarthen Bay, the Pembrokesire Coast and Lundy as candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSACs). To inform the policy and decision making process in terms of developments in the marine environment requires knowledge of its current physical state. This includes the morphology, geology, biology and sediments of the seabed. Baseline information on these is essential for strategic management and the conservation of biological diversity. Responsible stewardship requires an understanding of the way the marine environment functions and how the sea may respond to human activity. It also means involving stakeholders as an integral part of policy making. The Bristol Channel Marine Aggregates: Resources and Constraints Research Project (Posford Duvivier & ABP Research, 2000), indicated significant gaps in the biological and geological data available for the Outer Bristol Channel area. The only comprehensive study of the benthic invertebrates (Warwick & Clark 1977) was carried out in 1972-1973 and British Geological Survey maps of the area were based on surveys undertaken from 1971 to 1976.