Species point records from 1988 MNCR Skye sealochs survey

Skye is a large island lying off the north-west coast of Scotland, between the mainland and the Outer Hebrides. Its coastline is much indented with eleven large sealochs and several large bays. There are sounds between Skye and the smaller islands of Raasay, Rona, Scalpay, Pabbay and Soay, and between Skye and the mainland at Kyle Rhea. The survey included the lochs from Loch Brittle on west Skye, clockwise around the island to Loch na Cairidh in the east. Some sites on the open coast and in sounds were also surveyed en route. The survey was based on the converted trawler 'Ocean Bounty', which enabled a large area to be covered within the short time available. Sites surveyed were mainly sublittoral, with a few littoral sites of particular interest also investigated. 96 sites were surveyed, of which 7 were littoral and 89 were sublittoral. From this work, 8 littoral and 40 sublittoral communities have been described, together with 15 sublittoral sub-communities or facies. Results are summarised for the area as a whole, and separately for each of the sealochs surveyed. Littoral communities described include a brackish lochan, caves, rock pools, and a bed of the unattached brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum ecad mackaii. A wide variety of sublittoral communities and species was recorded, from exposed rock and sediments on the open coast to sheltered habitats inside the sealochs. On the west coast, communities on the open coast and in the loch entrances were more exposed to wave action, with coarse sediments and scoured rock communities. Rich and varied sediment communities were found around islands in the entrances to Loch Bracadale and Loch Dunvegan, and maerl beds were present around the Ascrib Islands. The east coast of Skye is more sheltered, and the communities in sounds and sealochs here were more similar to the adjacent mainland than to the west of Skye. Extremely tideswept bedrock and boulder communities were found in Kyle Rhea, where tidal currents reach 8 knots on spring tides. The area has been assessed for marine nature conservation interest, and separate assessments are given for individual lochs, sounds and open coast areas, as well as for individual communities and species. Dunvegan Head has already been cited as a Marine Consultation Area (MCA) on the basis of results from this survey, and it is recommended that Kyle Rhea should also be a MCA. A wide range of habitats were recorded during the survey from both hard and soft substrata. The Loch Dunvegan area is highlighted for the diversity of marine habitats it contains. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.