CONSULTATION ON PRIORITY MARINE FEATURES
Consultation document on Priority Marine Features
Annex A
Recommended list of Priority Marine Features in Scotland's seas
| Priority Marine Feature ( PMF) |
Component biotopes / species |
Component biotopes / species |
Scottish marine area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue mussel beds |
Mytilus edulis beds on littoral sediments |
LS.LBR.LMus.Myt |
Territorial waters |
| Mytilus edulis and Fabricia sabella in littoral mixed sediment |
LS.LSa.St.MytFab |
Territorial waters |
|
| Mytilus edulis beds on sublittoral sediment |
SS.SBR.SMus.MytSS |
Territorial waters |
|
| Mytilus edulis beds on reduced salinity infralittoral rock |
IR.LIR.IFaVS.MytRS |
Territorial waters |
|
| Burrowed mud |
Seapens and burrowing megafauna in circalittoral fine mud |
SS.SMu.CFiMu.SpnMeg |
Both |
| Burrowing megafauna and Maxmuelleria lankesteri in circalittoral mud |
SS.SMu.CFiMu.MegMax |
Both |
|
| Tall seapen |
Funiculina quadrangularis |
Both |
|
| Fireworks anemone |
Pachycerianthus multiplicatus |
Both |
|
| Mud burrowing amphipod |
Maera loveni |
Both |
|
| Carbonate mound communities |
Carbonate mound communities |
No code |
Offshore waters |
| Cold-water coral reefs |
Coral reefs |
SS.SBR.Crl |
Both |
| Coral gardens |
Coral gardens |
No code |
Offshore waters |
| Deep sea sponge aggregations |
Deep sea sponge aggregations |
No code |
Offshore waters |
| Flame shell beds |
Limaria hians beds in tide-swept sublittoral muddy mixed sediment |
SS.SMx.IMx.Lim |
Territorial waters |
| Horse mussel beds |
Modiolus modiolus beds with hydroids and red seaweeds on tide-swept circalittoral mixed substrata |
SS.SBR.SMus.ModT |
Territorial waters |
| Modiolus modiolus beds on open coast circalittoral mixed sediment |
SS.SBR.SMus.ModMx |
Territorial waters |
|
| Modiolus modiolus beds with fine hydroids and large solitary ascidians on very sheltered circalittoral mixed substrata |
SS.SBR.SMus.ModHAs |
Territorial waters |
|
| Horse mussel beds cont. |
Modiolus modiolus beds with Chlamys varia, sponges, hydroids and bryozoans on slightly tide-swept very sheltered circalittoral mixed substrata |
SS.SBR.SMus.ModCvar |
Territorial waters |
| Inshore deep mud with burrowing heart urchins |
Brissopsis lyrifera and Amphiura chiajei in circalittoral mud |
SS.SMu.CFiMu.BlyrAchi |
Territorial waters |
| Intertidal mudflats |
Littoral mud |
LS.LMu |
Territorial waters |
| Kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment |
Kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment |
SS.SMp.KSwSS |
Territorial waters |
| Low or variable salinity habitats |
Faunal communities on variable or reduced salinity infralittoral rock |
IR.LIR.IFaVS |
Territorial waters |
| Kelp in variable or reduced salinity |
IR.LIR.KVS |
Territorial waters |
|
| Submerged fucoids, green or red seaweeds (low salinity infralittoral rock) |
IR.LIR.Lag |
Territorial waters |
|
| Sublittoral mud in low or reduced salinity (lagoons) |
SS.SMu.SMuLS |
Territorial waters |
|
| Bird's nest stonewort |
Tolypella nidifica |
Territorial waters |
|
| Baltic stonewort |
Chara baltica |
Territorial waters |
|
| Foxtail stonewort |
Lamprothamnium papulosum |
Territorial waters |
|
| Small brackish water snail |
Hydrobia acuta neglecta |
Territorial waters |
|
| Maerl beds |
Maerl beds |
SS.SMp.Mrl |
Territorial waters |
| Maerl or coarse shell gravel with burrowing sea cucumbers |
Neopentadactyla mixta in circalittoral shell gravel or coarse sand |
SS.SCS.CCS.Nmix |
Territorial waters |
| Native oysters |
Ostrea edulis beds on shallow sublittoral muddy mixed sediment |
SS.SMx.IMx.Ost |
Territorial waters |
| Native oyster |
Ostrea edulis |
Territorial waters |
|
| Northern sea fan and sponge communities |
Caryophyllia smithii and Swiftia pallida on circalittoral rock |
CR.MCR.EcCr.CarSwi |
Territorial waters |
| Mixed turf of hydroids and large ascidians with Swiftia pallida and Caryophyllia smithii on weakly tide-swept circalittoral rock |
CR.HCR.XFa.SwiLgAs |
Territorial waters |
|
| Deep sponge communities (circalittoral) |
CR.HCR.DpSp |
Both |
|
| Northern sea fan |
Swiftia pallida |
Both |
|
| Ampharete falcata turf with Parvicardium ovale on cohesive muddy sediment near margins of deep stratified seas |
SS.SMu.OMu.AfalPova |
Offshore waters |
|
| Foraminiferans and Thyasira sp. in deep circalittoral fine mud |
SS.SMu.OMu.ForThy |
Offshore waters |
|
| Levinsenia gracilis and Heteromastus filifirmis in offshore circalittoral mud and sandy mud |
SS.SMu.OMu.LevHet |
Offshore waters |
|
| Paramphinome jeffreysii, Thyasira spp. and Amphiura filiformis in offshore circalittoral sandy mud |
SS.SMu.OMu.PjefThyAfil |
Offshore waters |
|
| Myrtea spinifera and polychaetes in offshore circalittoral sandy mud |
SS.SMu.OMu.MyrPo |
Offshore waters |
|
| Offshore subtidal sands and gravels |
Glycera lapidum, Thyasira spp. and Amythasides macroglossus in offshore gravelly sand |
SS.SCS.OCS.GlapThyAmy |
Offshore waters |
| Hesionura elongata and Protodorvillea kefersteini in offshore coarse sand |
SS.SCS.OCS.HeloPkef |
Offshore waters |
|
| Echinocyamus pusillus, Ophelia borealis and Abra prismatica in circalittoral fine sand |
SS.SSa.CFiSa.EpusOborApri |
Offshore waters |
|
| Abra prismatica, Bathyporeia elegans and polychaetes in circalittoral fine sand |
SS.SSa.CFiSa.ApriBatPo |
Offshore waters |
|
| Maldanid polychaetes and Eudorellopsis deformis in offshore circalittoral sand or muddy sand |
SS.SSa.OSa.MalEdef |
Offshore waters |
|
| Offshore subtidal sands and gravels cont. |
Owenia fusiformis and Amphiura filiformis in offshore circalittoral sand or muddy sand |
SS.SSa.OSa.OfusAfil |
Offshore waters |
| Seagrass beds |
Zostera noltii beds in littoral muddy sand |
LS.LMp.LSgr.Znol |
Territorial waters |
| Zostera marina/ angustifolia beds on lower shore or infralittoral clean or muddy sand |
SS.SMp.SSgr.Zmar |
Territorial waters |
|
| Ruppia maritima in reduced salinity infralittoral muddy sand |
SS.SMp.SSgr.Rup |
Territorial waters |
|
| Sea loch egg wrack beds |
Ascophyllum nodosum ecad mackaii beds on extremely sheltered mid eulittoral mixed substrata |
LR.LLR.FVS.Ascmac |
Territorial waters |
| Seamount communities |
Seamount communities |
No code |
Offshore waters |
| Serpulid aggregations |
Serpula vermicularis reefs on very sheltered circalittoral muddy sand |
SS.SBR.PoR.Ser |
Territorial waters |
| Submarine structures made by leaking gases |
Submarine structures made by leaking gases |
No code |
Both |
| Tide-swept algal communities |
Fucoids in tide-swept conditions |
LR.HLR.FT |
Territorial waters |
| Halidrys siliquosa and mixed kelps on tide-swept infralittoral rock with coarse sediment |
IR.HIR.KSed.XKHal |
Territorial waters |
|
| Kelp and seaweed communities in tide-swept sheltered conditions |
IR.MIR.KT |
Territorial waters |
|
| Laminaria hyperborea on tide-swept infralittoral mixed substrata |
IR.MIR.KR.LhypTX |
Territorial waters |
|
| Tide-swept coarse sands with burrowing bivalves |
Moerella spp. with venerid bivalves in infralittoral gravelly sand |
SS.SCS.ICS.MoeVen |
Territorial waters |
Table 2 Low or limited mobility species
| Priority Marine Feature ( PMF) |
Species name |
Taxon group |
Scottish marine area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burrowing sea anemone |
Arachnanthus sarsi |
Sea anemones, sea fans and seapens |
Territorial waters |
| Pink sea fingers |
Alcyonium hibernicum |
Sea anemones, sea fans and seapens |
Territorial waters |
| White cluster anemone |
Parazoanthus anguicomus |
Sea anemones, sea fans and seapens |
Territorial waters |
| Northern feather star |
Leptometra celtica |
Starfish and feather stars |
Both |
| Fan mussel |
Atrina fragilis |
Snails, clams, mussels and oysters |
Both |
| Heart cockle |
Glossus humanus |
Snails, clams, mussels and oysters |
Territorial waters |
| Ocean quahog |
Arctica islandica |
Snails, clams, mussels and oysters |
Both |
| Priority Marine Feature ( PMF) |
Species name |
Taxon group |
Scottish marine area |
|---|---|---|---|
| European spiny lobster |
Palinurus elephas |
Lobsters and sand hoppers |
Territorial waters |
| Eel |
Anguilla anguilla |
Bony fish (catadromous) |
Territorial waters |
| Atlantic salmon |
Salmo salar |
Bony fish (anadromous) |
Territorial waters |
| European river lamprey |
Lampetra fluviatilis |
Bony fish (anadromous) |
Territorial waters |
| Sea lamprey |
Petromyzon marinus |
Bony fish (anadromous) |
Territorial waters |
| Sea trout |
Salmo trutta |
Bony fish (anadromous) |
Territorial waters |
| Sparling |
Osmerus eperlanus |
Bony fish (anadromous) |
Territorial waters |
| Anglerfish |
Lophius piscatorius |
Bony fish |
Both |
| Atlantic halibut |
Hippoglossus hippoglossus |
Bony fish |
Offshore waters |
| Atlantic herring |
Clupea harengus |
Bony fish |
Both |
| Atlantic mackerel |
Scomber scombrus |
Bony fish |
Both |
| Black scabbardfish |
Aphanopus carbo |
Bony fish |
Offshore waters |
| Blue ling |
Molva dypterygia |
Bony fish |
Offshore waters |
| Blue whiting |
Micromesistius poutassou |
Bony fish |
Offshore waters |
| Cod |
Gadus morhua |
Bony fish |
Both |
| Greenland halibut |
Reinhardtius hippoglossoides |
Bony fish |
Offshore waters |
| Horse mackerel |
Trachurus trachurus |
Bony fish |
Offshore waters |
| Ling |
Molva molva |
Bony fish |
Both |
| Norway pout |
Trisopterus esmarkii |
Bony fish |
Both |
| Orange roughy |
Hoplostethus atlanticus |
Bony fish |
Offshore waters |
| Round-nose grenadier |
Coryphaenoides rupestris |
Bony fish |
Offshore waters |
| Saithe |
Pollachius virens |
Bony fish |
Both |
| Sandeels |
Ammodytes marinus & Ammodytes tobianus |
Bony fish |
Both (although only A. marinus occurs offshore) |
| Sand goby |
Pomatoschistus minutus |
Bony fish |
Territorial waters |
| Whiting |
Merlangius merlangus |
Bony fish |
Both |
| Basking shark |
Cetorhinus maximus |
Sharks, skates and rays |
Both |
| Common skate |
. cf. intermedia |
Sharks, skates and rays |
Both |
| Leafscale gulper shark |
Centrophorus squamosus |
Sharks, skates and rays |
Offshore waters |
| Porbeagle shark |
Lamna nasus |
Sharks, skates and rays |
Offshore waters |
| Portuguese dogfish |
Centroscymnus coelolepis |
Sharks, skates and rays |
Offshore waters |
| Sandy ray |
Leucoraja circularis |
Sharks, skates and rays |
Offshore waters |
| Spiny dogfish |
Squalas acanthias |
Sharks, skates and rays |
Both |
| Atlantic white-sided dolphin |
Lagenorhynchus acutus |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Offshore waters |
| Bottlenose dolphin |
Tursiops truncatus |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Both |
| Fin whale |
Balaenoptera physalus |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Offshore waters |
| Harbour porpoise |
Phocoena phocoena |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Both |
| Killer whale |
Orcinus orca |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Both |
| Long-finned pilot whale |
Globicephela melas |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Offshore waters |
| Minke whale |
Balaenoptera acutorostrata |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Both |
| Northern bottlenose whale |
Hyperoodon ampullatus |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Offshore waters |
| Risso's dolphin |
Grampus griseus |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Both |
| Short-beaked common dolphin |
Delphinus delphis |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Both |
| Sowerby's beaked whale |
Mesoplodon bidens |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Offshore waters |
| Sperm whale |
Physeter macrocephalus |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Offshore waters |
| White-beaked dolphin |
Lagenorhynchus albirostris |
Whales, dolphins and porpoises |
Both |
| Harbour / common seal |
Phoca vitulina |
Seals |
Both |
| Grey seal |
Halichoerus grypus |
Seals |
Both |
| Otter |
Lutra lutra |
Otter |
Territorial waters |