Sole (Credit Dereck Haslam)
Often camouflaged amongst sand and gravel, it takes a keen eye to spot a sole resting on the seabed.
Estuaries provide an important nursery ground for many species of juvenile flatfish such as sole and dab.
Located in close proximity to Aldeburgh on the Suffolk Coast, the Alde Ore Estuary reaches no more than 5 metres in depth. The seabed comprises estuarine rocky habitats, sheltered muddy gravel as well as mixed sediments and biogenic reef habitats.
Smelt use the estuary for spawning, whilst many juvenile sea fish use the area as a nursery ground. These include sprat, herring and flatfish such as sole and dab. Blue mussels, tentacled lagoon worms and oysters have also been recorded here.
The Alde Ore Special Protection Area supports 20,000 seabirds feeding, roosting and nesting, including populations of redshanks and lesser black-backed gulls.
The Orfordness geological feature, part of which lies within this recommended MCZ, comprises of nationally important shingle ridges extending 15km along the Suffolk coastline.
This recommended Marine Conservation Zone is ON HOLD at the moment as Defra has indicated that there is not enough evidence to support designation.
We need you to urge Defra to commit to gathering additional evidence required as soon as possible and to consider designation of this site in a future tranche:
This site is on hold at the moment. Defra has indicated the need for additional evidence before they consider designation of this site for any of the habitats or species recommended by stakeholders.
The designation of this site important- it is the only site in the region that has been put forward for the protection of smelt and the site is important as a fish nursery.
We need you to urge Defra to commit to gathering additional evidence required as soon as possible and to consider designation of this site in a future tranche.
Contains UKHO Law of the Sea data. Crown copyright and database right and
contains Ordnance Survey Data Crown copyright and database 2012
Other nearby MCZs
Downloads
| Filename | File size |
|---|---|
| Alde Ore Estuary.pdf | 336.85 KB |