 web.jpg "Square crab (Credit Rachel Coppock)")
Square crab (Credit Rachel Coppock)
The muddy seabed in Hythe Bay is packed with animals like the square crab whose stalked eyes fold neatly into recesses in its shell for protection.
The seabed is peppered with the burrows and tubes of an astonishing variety of marine species.
Square crabs and green-tongued spoonworms are among the strange and wonderful creatures that burrow out their homes in the soft mud of Hythe Bay. The muddy seabed appears at first sight as no more than gently undulating fine sediment. However, on closer inspection it is peppered with the burrows and tubes of an astonishing variety of species, from tiny crustaceans to graceful anemones which sway gently in the currents.
Sand mason worms construct intricate tubes from grains of sand and shell fragments, while beautifully marked necklace shells and iridescently-bristled sea mice move through the top layers of mud in search of their prey. Neat packages of gelatinous mollusc eggs, attached into the mud by a delicate thread are wafted by water movements. All these animals provide a veritable feast for foraging fish and birds.
This recommended Marine Conservation Zone has been put forward for potential designation in 2013, government consultation pending.
We need you to urge Defra to remain committed to designating this site in 2013 and to put in place appropriate management as soon as possible.
This site has been proposed for designation in 2013. Defra has indicated that there is enough evidence to support the designation of the site for all three habitats and species recommended for protection within the site by stakeholders.
This site is important as it contains one of only two examples in the whole region of seapen and burrowing megafauna, an unusual community whose presence has been confirmed by Kent Wildlife Trust’s Seasearch surveying. This video can be viewed on this page. This site has been identified as at high risk of damage and degradation by Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee due to the presence of vulnerable features within the site.
We need you to urge Defra to remain committed to designating this site in 2013 and to put in place appropriate management as soon as possible.
Dive video of this site
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 |
|---|---|
| Hythe Bay.pdf | 258.28 KB |