Report to the Scottish Parliament on Progress to Identify a Scottish Network of Marine Protected Areas

Territorial waters

Clyde Sea Sill

CSS

Biodiversity protected features - Black guillemot, circalittoral sand and coarse sediment communities, fronts

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed - sand banks, sand ribbon fields, sand wave fields

East Caithness Cliffs

ECC

Biodiversity protected features - Black guillemot

Fetlar to Haroldswick

FTH

Biodiversity protected features - Black guillemot, circalittoral sand and coarse sediment communities, horse mussel beds, kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment, maerl beds, shallow tide-swept coarse sands with burrowing bivalves

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed (components to be confirmed)

Loch Creran

LCR

Biodiversity protected features - Flame shell beds

Geodiversity protected features - Quaternary of Scotland (components to be confirmed)

Loch Sunart

LSU

Biodiversity protected features - Flame shell beds, northern feather star aggregations on mixed substrata, serpulid aggregations

Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura

SJU

Biodiversity protected features - Common skate

Geodiversity protected features - Quaternary of Scotland - glaciated channels/troughs (other components to be confirmed)

Loch Sween

LSW

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud, inshore deep mud with burrowing heart urchins, maerl beds, native oysters, sublittoral mud and mixed sediment communities

Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh

DLA

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud, inshore deep mud with burrowing heart urchins, flame shell beds

Monach Isles

MOI

Biodiversity protected features - Black guillemot

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of Scottish Shelf (components to be confirmed); Quaternary of Scotland - landscape of areal glacial scour

Mousa to Boddam

MTB

Biodiversity protected features - Sandeels

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed (components to be confirmed)

North-west sea lochs and Summer Isles

NWS

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud, circalittoral muddy sand communities, flame shell beds, kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment, maerl beds, maerl or coarse shell gravel with burrowing sea cucumbers, native oysters, northern feather star aggregations on mixed substrata

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed - banks of unknown substrate; Quaternary of Scotland - glaciated channels/troughs, megascale glacial lineations, moraines; Seabed Fluid and Gas Seep - pockmarks; Submarine Mass Movement - slide scars

Noss Head

NOH

Biodiversity protected features - Horse mussel beds

Papa Westray

PWY

Biodiversity protected features - Black guillemot

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed - sand wave field

Small Isles

SMI

Biodiversity protected features - Black guillemot, burrowed mud, circalittoral sand and mud communities; fan mussel aggregations, horse mussel beds, northern sea fan and sponge communities, northern feather star aggregations on mixed substrata, shelf deeps; white cluster anemone

Geodiversity protected features - Quaternary of Scotland - glaciated channels/troughs, glacial lineations

South Arran

ARR

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud, herring spawning grounds, kelp and seaweed communities, maerl beds, maerl or coarse shell gravel with burrowing sea cucumbers, ocean quahog (species), seagrass beds, shallow tide-swept coarse sands with burrowing bivalves

Upper Loch Fyne and Loch Goil

LFG

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud, flame shell beds, horse mussel beds, low or variable salinity habitats; ocean quahog (species), sublittoral mud and mixed sediment communities

Wyre and Rousay Sounds

WYR

Biodiversity protected features - Kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment, maerl beds

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed (components to be confirmed)

Central Fladen

CFL

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud

Geodiversity protected features - Quaternary of Scotland - sub-glacial tunnel valley

East of Gannet and Montrose Fields

EGM

Biodiversity protected features - Ocean quahog aggregations, offshore subtidal sands and gravels, offshore deep sea muds

Faroe-Shetland sponge belt

FSS

Biodiversity protected features - Continental slope, deep sea sponge aggregations; ocean quahog aggregations; offshore subtidal sands and gravels

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Deep Ocean Seabed - sand wave field, sediment wave field; Quaternary of Scotland - continental slope channels; iceberg ploughmark fields, prograding wedges; Submarine Mass Movement - slide deposits

Firth of Forth Banks Complex

FOF

Biodiversity protected features - Ocean quahog aggregations; offshore subtidal sands and gravels; shelf banks and mounds

Geodiversity protected features - Quaternary of Scotland - moraines

Geikie Slide and Hebridean slope

GSH

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud; continental slope, offshore deep sea muds, offshore subtidal sands and gravels

Geodiversity protected features - Submarine Mass Movement - slide deposits, slide scars

Hatton-Rockall Basin

HRB

Biodiversity protected features - Deep sea sponge aggregations; offshore deep sea muds

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Deep Ocean Seabed - sediment drifts; Polygonal fault systems

North-east Faroe Shetland Channel

NEF

Biodiversity protected features - Continental slope, deep sea sponge aggregations; offshore deep sea muds; offshore subtidal sands and gravels

Geodiversity protected features - Cenozoic Structures of the Atlantic Margin - mud diapirs; Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Deep Ocean Seabed - contourite sand/silt; Quaternary of Scotland - prograding wedge; Submarine Mass Movement - slide deposits

West Shetland Shelf

WSS

Biodiversity protected features - Offshore subtidal sands and gravels

North-west Orkney

NWO

Biodiversity protected features - Sandeels

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed - sand bank, sand wave field, sediment wave fields

Norwegian boundary sediment plain

NSP

Biodiversity protected features - Ocean quahog aggregations, offshore subtidal sands and gravels

Rosemary Bank Seamount

RBS

Biodiversity protected features - Deep sea sponge aggregations; seamounts; seamount communities

Geodiversity protected features - Cenozoic Structures of the Atlantic Margin - Rosemary Bank Seamount; Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Deep Ocean Seabed - scour moats, sediment drifts, sediment wave fields; Quaternary of Scotland - iceberg ploughmark field; Submarine Mass Movement - slide scars

South-east Fladen

SEF

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud

Geodiversity protected features - Seabed Fluid and Gas Seep - pockmarks

South-west Sula Sgeir and Hebridean slope

SSH

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud; continental slope; offshore deep sea muds; offshore subtidal sands and gravels

Geodiversity protected features - Quaternary of Scotland - iceberg ploughmark fields, prograding wedges; Submarine Mass Movement - slide deposits

The Barra Fan and Hebrides Terrace Seamount

BHT

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud; continental slope, coral gardens (suspected); offshore deep sea muds; offshore subtidal sands and gravels; orange roughy; seamounts; seamount communities (suspected)

Geodiversity protected features - Cenozoic Structures of the Atlantic Margin - continental slope, Hebrides Terrace Seamount; Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Deep Ocean Seabed - scour moat; Quaternary of Scotland - iceberg ploughmark field, prograding wedges; Submarine Mass Movement - continental slope turbidite canyons, slide deposits

Turbot Bank

TBB

Biodiversity protected features - Sandeels, offshore subtidal sands and gravels, shelf banks and mounds

Western Fladen

WFL

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud

Geodiversity protected features - Quaternary of Scotland - sub-glacial tunnel valleys

Eye Peninsula to Butt of Lewis

EPL

Biodiversity protected features - Risso's dolphin, sandeels

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed - longitudinal bedform field; Quaternary of Scotland - glaciated channel/troughs, landscape of areal glacial scour, megascale glacial lineations

Shiant East Bank

SEB

Biodiversity protected features - Circalittoral sands and mixed sediment communities, northern sea fan and sponge communities, shelf banks and mounds

Geodiversity protected features - Quaternary of Scotland (components to be confirmed)

Skye to Mull

STM

Biodiversity protected features - Basking shark, fronts, minke whale

Geodiversity protected features - Marine Geomorphology of the Scottish Shelf Seabed (components to be confirmed)

Southern Trench

STR

Biodiversity protected features - Burrowed mud, fronts, minke whale, shelf deeps, white-beaked dolphin

Geodiversity protected features - Quaternary of Scotland - sub-glacial tunnel valleys and moraines; Submarine Mass Movement - slide scars