Case Study – UK Cold Water Coral Reefs and Deep-water Fisheries

Did you know we have hard coral reefs in UK waters?

Did you know that amongst the varied activities of Braemar Howells. we have recently been involved in seabed photography and sampling of cold water coral reefs?

The presence of cold water corals in UK waters and the potentially damaging impact of deepwater trawling on these habitats has received increasing attention in the last few years.

Braemar Howells Environmental Consultancy Manager spent 30 days offshore in the NE Atlantic, several hundred miles off the western coast of Scotland at cold water coral sites on the Rockall and Hatton Banks, He led a survey team on behalf of the UK Government DTI, sampling and obtaining seabed photographs and video of Hard Coral Communities. These surveys were part of the Strategic Environmental Assessments that DTI have been conducting around the UK waters.

During the 4 weeks spent aboard the SV Kommandor Jack,  he endured a whole succession of gales. The team obtained some remarkable images and video footage in waters depths from 250metres to 2,500metres, of these threatened seabed animal communities.

One particularly entertaining diversion was the 30 minute performance captured on video of ‘The dance of the Chimaeras’ or ‘Rabbit Fish Ballet’ when the camera system descended in 500m of water onto large numbers of these rat-tailed, deepwater fish, shown in the adjacent photograph; they circulated and paraded immediately in front of our camera, to the delight of assembled surveyors and crew watching the on-board live monitor screen.

Photographs courtesy of the UK, Dept. of Trade & Industry