Starlet sea anemones (Credit Rob Spray)
The scarce starlet sea anemone can be found here within mud, muddy sand and shingle.
Saline lagoons are unique marine habitats with wonderful wildlife.
Seahorse Lagoon and Arnold's Marsh, are saline lagoons located on the North Norfolk coast, within Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Cley Marshes Nature Reserve. Both are percolation lagoons: although located inland they are marine habitats formed through the filtration of seawater through the shingle ridge. This means they are also highly variable habitats and subject to regular changes in water depth and salinity.
Saline lagoons are unique marine habitats supporting weird and wonderful wildlife including the nationally scarce starlet sea anemone, found here within mud, muddy sand and shingle. Surveys in the 1970s showed more than 12,500 individuals were found per square metre in a Norfolk lagoon making this area incredibly important for this species. These sites also support the lagoon cockle, small brackish water snails and several types of shrimp.
This recommended Marine Conservation Zone is ON HOLD at the moment as it was recommended as a Reference Area.
We need you to urge Defra to consider designating this site as an MCZ to protect the starlet sea anemone found within the site:
This site has been put forward as a reference area (a highly protected MCZ) and is on hold at the moment as Defra review the designation of Reference Areas. The Wildlife Trusts will be contributing to this review. However, it is our view that this site could still make a contribution towards an ecologically coherent network if designated as an MCZ.
We need you to urge Defra to consider designating this site as an MCZ to protect the starlet sea anemone found within the 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 |
|---|---|
| Seahorse Lagoon and Arnold’s Marsh.pdf | 231.73 KB |