Species point records from 1991 MNCR inner Solway Firth littoral survey

The inner Solway is an area of predominantly sedimentary substrata, with large expanses of mobile sediment and constantly migrating river channels from the Rivers Esk and Eden which enter the Firth at its head around Rockcliffe Marsh. Within the inner Solway, hard substrata is limited in extent, with scoured boulder scars in the south of the area and some true rocky shores fringing the sediment flats west of Sotherness Point. The coastline of the middle and upper reaches of the estuary is largely linear, with only Moricambe, the River Nith and the Rough Firth/Auchencairn Bay complex providing any variation. The west side of Auchencairn Bay marks the end of the sediment shores, giving way to predominantly rocky shoreline more characteristic of the outer Solway. The rocky coastline is only disrupted by large areas of sediment in Kirkudbright Bay, Fleet Bay and Wigtown Bay. From Burrow Head the coastline swings north-west into the vast Luce Bay, which extends to the Mull of Galloway. The bay is headed by Luce Sands which are over 8km long and backed by Torrs Warren, a broad area of sand dunes. Beware ! the infauna has been entered in the epifauna window In June 1991 survey work was completed on the north coast of the Solway Firth, between Luce Sands and Mullock Bay following reccomendations by Covey (1990). The inner Solway, from Maryport to Balcarry Point was surveyed in August 1991. Both surveys contributed to MNCR work in the north-east basin of the Irish Sea. On the north coast of the outer Solway 17 littoral sites were surveyed and 83 habitats recorded. From the inner Solway 28 sites were surveyed and 91 habitats recorded. Using records collected on both surveys, 6 hard substrata, 5 mixed substrata and 4 soft substrata habitat/community types were described. Variations of the communities on the rocky shores were described from wave exposed/open coast sites and wave sheltered enclosed coast sites. Two facies of one sedimentary shore community were also identified. The rocky sites were predominantly barnacle and fucoid dominated with extensive mussel beds on the lower shores at some sites. At the more exposed sites Chthalamus montagui was the predominant as a band on the upper shore with Balanus balanoides and Fucus vesiculosus on the lower shore. More sheltered sites were characterised by Pelvetia canaliculata on the upper shore and Ascophyllum nodosum on the lower shore. Mixed substrata boulder scars were described according to their stability and the amount of sedimentary material binding the larger material: providing a matrix for polychaetes etc to colonise. Soft substratum communities and habitats split broadly into two groups; enclosed coast estuarine fine sands and muds, and open coast fine sands. Within these two splits, finer divisions occurred on the basis of stability and wave exposure, which affected the sediment composition and species presence/abundance.