Solway Firth

Morecambe Bay

The Wash and North Norfolk Coast

Cardigan Bay

Chesil and the Fleet

The selection of this area was based on its estuarine and sedimentary habitats. "The Solway Firth is of international importance under Annex I as an estuarine habitat with extensive littoral and sublittoral sedimentary habitats. It is one of the least industrialised and most natural large estuaries in Europe, has the third largest area of littoral flats in Britain, and is the fourth largest estuary in the country."

However, there are some sublittoral hard substrata. "Reefs are a relatively minor component of the recommended area. They are mainly made up of scar grounds of glacial boulder deposits, and the most diverse littoral and sublittoral reef communities occur in the more stable outer reaches of the estuary." There are a few small areas of rocky coastline on the northern shore of the estuary, but given the shallow depths, the potential for CFT biotopes within the SAC is very poor. "Twelve MNCR surveys have been completed for the Irish Sea region, collecting data from some 213 sites. Twenty-four sites were surveyed in the inner Solway Firth, describing the biota from 75 geographically different stations. Analysis of these records has shown there to be 12 MNCR biotope types present in the inner Solway Firth, consisting of soft sediment types over the largest part of the area, with wave-sheltered rocky littoral communities present towards the outer limits of the site."

Morecambe Bay was selected because of its extensive mud and sand flats, and large areas of shallow water. There are virtually no hard substrata within the Bay, and very few CFT biotopes. The region has been surveyed sublittorally (Emblow, 1992), and the only CFT biotopes are in the Lune Deep at the entrance to Morecambe Bay. The proposed seaward boundary of the SAC (from Rossall Point to Hipsford Point) crosses the Lune Deep, and so some small area of rather limited CFT biotopes will lie within the SAC.

The Annex 1 features supporting the selection of this SAC are the abundance of sandbanks, mud and sand flats, and shallow inlets and bays. The coastline consists of sand and mud, largely backed by dunes and saltmarsh. The subtidal areas are all sediment bottoms. There are no CFT biotopes within the limits of the SAC.

This was selected as a candidate SAC because of its importance as a habitat for a resident population of the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. The coastline of the proposed SAC extends from just north of Aberayron to south of Cemaes Head (CCW documentation), and is largely rocky. The subtidal rock may provide some CFT biotopes, but none of particular note (FSCRC, 1992).

There are no CFT biotopes within the limits of this SAC (Victoria Copley - personal communication). It is selected as a candidate SAC because of its lagoons (Annex I feature).

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