Impacts of bait collection on Welsh Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Boulder Turning

Survey to assess the impacts of three bait collection methods on Welsh MPAs - bait digging (Sites : Angle Bay, Four Mile Bridge, Penmon - Beaumaris), boulder turning (Penmon-Beaumaris, West of Great Orme), crab shelters (Deganwy, Bangor Pier). Samples taken from control and impact sites. Infaunal cores, sediment cores, benthic megafauna (i.e. razor clam, cockle) quadrat, worm cast count, seagrass coverage, boulder epifauna, boulder turning classification.

This metadata covers the results of boulder turning monitoring at Penmon-Beaumaris and West of Great Orme.

Identifier: NRW_DS161480

Alternative Title

2024 NRW North Wales boulder turning survey (ef12b4e8-dae9-403a-9fcf-2cfde55f7e26)

Metadata Language: English

Lineage: Boulder turning monitoring was carried out at Penmon-Beaumaris and west of Great Orme between 10th and 13th March 2024. Survey methods used a comparative sampling strategy between areas that are exposed to boulder turning activities (i.e. impact) and areas that experience no boulder turning activities (i.e. control).

Suitable control areas were defined by minimal evidence of bait collection activities, comparable habitat types (e.g. sediments and algal coverage on boulders) and comparable shore heights (mid-low).

A transect sampling method was used to qualitatively assess the intensity and extent of boulder turning at each site. Four transects were placed horizontally (using a tape measure) across the mid (defined by the presence of Fucus vesiculosus) and low shore (defined by the presence of Fucus serratus), within each impact and control area at each site. Transects were 20 m in length and were spaced at least 20-50 m from each other. Along each transect the number of ‘suitable’ turned vs un-turned boulders (those that fitted through a 0.5 x 0.5 m quadrat and were not embedded in sediment), was counted and each boulder was assigned a classification (Very Recently Turned, Recently Turned, Historically Turned or Not Turned). In addition, five boulders per transect (within both control and impact areas) were analysed in-situ with 5 minutes assigned per boulder.

The information gathered included GPS location and boulder size; photographs of each boulder surface and faunal organisms observed on either surface.

Additional Information: Gihwala, K.N., West, V.A., Frost, N.J, Robbins, K. 2024. Impacts of bait collection on Welsh Marine Protected Areas: Year two survey report. NRW Evidence Report, Report No: 862, 266pp, ABPmer, Southampton

Dataset Reference Date (Creation): 2025-03-06

Dataset Reference Date (Publication): 2026-01-15

Temporal Extent

Begin date: 2024-03-10

End date: 2024-03-13

Topic category

Biota

Originator

ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd -

Suite B, Waterside House, Town Quay, Southampton, SO14 2AQ, England

http://www.abpmer.co.uk/

Owner

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) -

Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales

http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en

Extent

Geographic Extent: Wales (WLS)

Vertical Extent

Medin Extent Keyword: littoral

Distribution

Format Type and Description

Database ( Unknown )

Specification

Raw Survey Data
Documents ( Unknown )

Specification

NRW Evidence Report in word or pdf format.

Resource Locator: Download and view data ( WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link )

Data quality

Quality Scope: Dataset

Conformity: Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services
Explanation: This dataset has not been assessed for conformance to the referenced INSPIRE regulation.
Degree: false

Lineage: Boulder turning monitoring was carried out at Penmon-Beaumaris and west of Great Orme between 10th and 13th March 2024. Survey methods used a comparative sampling strategy between areas that are exposed to boulder turning activities (i.e. impact) and areas that experience no boulder turning activities (i.e. control).

Suitable control areas were defined by minimal evidence of bait collection activities, comparable habitat types (e.g. sediments and algal coverage on boulders) and comparable shore heights (mid-low).

A transect sampling method was used to qualitatively assess the intensity and extent of boulder turning at each site. Four transects were placed horizontally (using a tape measure) across the mid (defined by the presence of Fucus vesiculosus) and low shore (defined by the presence of Fucus serratus), within each impact and control area at each site. Transects were 20 m in length and were spaced at least 20-50 m from each other. Along each transect the number of ‘suitable’ turned vs un-turned boulders (those that fitted through a 0.5 x 0.5 m quadrat and were not embedded in sediment), was counted and each boulder was assigned a classification (Very Recently Turned, Recently Turned, Historically Turned or Not Turned). In addition, five boulders per transect (within both control and impact areas) were analysed in-situ with 5 minutes assigned per boulder.

The information gathered included GPS location and boulder size; photographs of each boulder surface and faunal organisms observed on either surface.

Keywords

GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0

Habitats and biotopes

Type: Theme

Citation

Date (Publication): 2008-06-01

Code: geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.httpinspireeceuropaeutheme-theme

Keywords

NRW Thesaurus

marine protected areas(marine consultation areas)(sensitive marine areas)seealso marine conservation&marine nature reserve
boulders

Type: Theme

Citation

Date (Publication): 2025-01-08

Code: geonetwork.thesaurus.local.theme.converted_nrw-keywords

Keywords

SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary

Zoobenthos taxonomic abundance

Type: Theme

Citation

Date (Publication): 2024-06-19

Code: geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.rdf+xml

Code: WGS 84 (EPSG:4326)

Content Information

NRW Profile

Custom Elements

Constraints

Limitations on Public Access and Use

Restriction type: Other restrictions

Access Constraints Directive

Limitations: noLimitations

Access Constraints Text

Other constraints: There are no access restrictions on this data. NRW may release, publish or disseminate it freely.

Use Constraints

Use constraints type: Other restrictions

Other constraints: © CNC/NRW. Data may be re-used under the terms of the Open Government Licence providing it is done so, acknowledging both the source and NRW's copyright. It is the recipient's responsibility to ensure the data is fit for the intended purpose.

Attribution Statement

Licence

Other constraints: Open Government Licence

Metadata

File Identifier: 4f4c4942-4343-5764-6473-313631343830 XML

Metadata Language: English

Parent Identifier: Impacts of bait collection on Welsh Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
NRW_DS161478

Resource type: Dataset

Metadata Date: 2026-01-15T14:31:26.216Z

Metadata Standard Name: NRW

Metadata Standard Version: 1.0

pointOfContact

Natural Resources Wales -

Maes y Ffynnon , Bangor , LL57 2DW , Wales

Publishing Body

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Impacts of bait collection on Welsh Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Boulder Turning

Identification

Temporal Extent

Extent

Extent

Vertical Extent

Distribution

Distribution

Quality

Data quality

Keywords

Keywords

Citation

Keywords

Citation

Keywords

Citation

Spatial Reference System

Content

Content Information

NRW Profile

Custom Elements

Constraints

Constraints

Limitations on Public Access and Use

Access Constraints Directive

Access Constraints Text

Use Constraints

Attribution Statement

Licence

Metadata

Metadata

Publishing Body