Ecological Survey of Berwickshire to North Northumberland Coast SAC Using Drop Down Video

About

Defra Network eTendering Portal awarded a contract to Seastar Survey Ltd for ecological survey work to acquire data from the Berwickshire to North Northumberland Coast SAC to contribute to condition assessment of selected features using drop down video (DDV) surveying techniques.

The contract, valued at AUD 30,970, involved acquiring high quality video/image data to verify the extent and distribution of subtidal 'reef' and 'reef like' features, determine main characterising species, and quantitative enumeration of fauna for temporal comparisons.

It also included identifying and recording abundance and location of Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) and marine litter to satisfy Marine Strategy Framework Directive requirements.

Approximately 10-minute DDV camera tows were proposed across four survey areas to characterise macrofauna assemblages, confirm Broad Scale Habitat type, and gather evidence of reef features, with stations selected to ground truth features identified from acoustic data.