Plumose anemones (Credit Mark Thomas)
Rocky reefs are home to a wealth of wildlife found hidden in cracks and crevices and encrusting all available surfaces.
Kelp and tall plumose anemones reach up into the water, waving as currents pass.
Runswick Bay, located north-west of Whitby, boasts a highly productive seabed. The MCZ is recommended for 7 out of the 12 different seafloor habitats found here, including rock, sediment and gravel.
Shallow rocky areas here are dominated by kelps and red seaweeds whereas deeper areas are encrusted in a living faunal turf of sponges, sea squirts, sea urchins and starfish. Interspersed with sand and gravel, this area is also important for burrowing creatures such as worms.
Runswick Bay also provides spawning and nursery grounds for many fish, including herring, sprat, cod, whiting and plaice. Harbour porpoises are regularly recorded here alongside foraging seabirds, such as kittiwakes.
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 use this data gathered as soon as possible to consider designation of this site in a future tranche:
Although Defra has indicated that there is enough evidence to support designation of the site for the ocean quahog, further evidence is required to support designation of the site for seven additional habitats recommended by stakeholders. If designated, this site would provide protection for the second largest area of high energy infralittoral rock in the region. Defra has indicated that they have commissioned additional survey work for this site in 2013.
We need you to urge Defra to designate this site as soon as possible for those features that are deemed to have sufficient evidence and to commit to gathering additional data for designation of those remaining features in a future tranche.
Other nearby MCZs
Location map
Runswick Bay recommended MCZ is located in the map below.
Contains UKHO Law of the Sea data. Crown copyright and database right and contains Ordnance Survey Data Crown copyright and database 2012
Downloads
| Filename | File size |
|---|---|
| Runswick Bay.pdf | 209.71 KB |