Offshore Draft SACs
A
draft SAC (dSAC) is a site that has
been formally recommended to Defra by JNCC. A site
remains a dSAC until it has had Cabinet Committee approval to
go out to formal public consultation. There are currently two
draft SACs.
Dogger Bank was first formally
advised to Defra in 2005. Following
additional survey conducted in April 2008 a
revised Dogger Bank submission with a different boundary was
formally submitted in October 2008.
Hatton Bank was formally advised
to Defra in February 2009. Dogger Bank has been recommended for
it's
sandbank habitat and harbour porpoise
population. Hatton Bank has been recommended for it's bedrock,
stony and cold water coral
reefs.
JNCC provides
advice on the management of Annex I habitats and
Annex II species protected within offshore SACs to Defra and other
Competent Authorities. JNCC is not responsible for the management
of sites, or for producing management plans for them. These are the
responsibilites of the Competent Authorities.
There are three downloads associated with each dSAC:
- SAC Selection Assessment Document - Detailing
the scientific justification for the site;
- Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on
Operations - Providing, in draft format, guidance to the
Competent Authorities on managing human activities on the
site;
- GIS boundary for the dSAC - Please note that
boundaries for future sites are not fixed until the site has been
submitted to the European Commission. Therefore this site boundary
may change.
Dogger Bank
The Dogger Bank in the Southern North Sea is the largest
sandbank in UK waters and the draft SAC adjoins
Dutch and German
Doggerbank sites. The bank supports communities typical of
sandy sediments, characterised by polychaete
worms, amphipods and small
clams within the sediments and hermit
crabs, flatfish and
starfish on the seabed. Sand eels
are abundant on the flanks of the bank and provide a food resource
for seabirds, cetaceans and other
commercial fish species, such as cod. The Dogger
Bank region is an important location for the North Sea
harbour porpoise population and as such they are
included as a qualifying feature. Grey and common
seals are known to visit the bank and are included as
non-qualifying features at the site. Further information on the
2008 JNCC
survey to Dogger Bank is also available.
Dogger Bank SAC
Selection Assessment Document (1,743 KB)
Dogger
Bank Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on Operations
(271 KB)
Dogger Bank dSAC boundary
Hatton Bank
Hatton Bank is a large volcanic bank in the
North-East Atlantic. The depth of the bank ranges from less than
500 to over 1000 metres. The hard substrates provided by the
stony and bedrock reef on the site support a wide
array of species. These include scleractinian
corals, lace corals, black
corals, soft corals and cup
corals as well as seafans and
sponges. Cold water coral reefs, made up of
Lophelia pertusa and
Madrepora oculata, are also present.
Further details of the 2005-2006 Strategic Environmental Assessment
surveys that visited and collected data at Hatton
Bank are also available.
Hatton Bank SAC
Selection Assessment Document (3,776 KB)
Hatton Bank Draft Conservation Objectives and Advice on
Operations (803 KB)
Hatton Bank dSAC boundary