An examination of the spatial scale of impact on the marine benthos arising from marine aggregate extraction in the central English Channel.
-
Published source details
Boyd S.E. & Rees H.L. (2003) An examination of the spatial scale of impact on the marine benthos arising from marine aggregate extraction in the central English Channel.. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 57, 1-16.
Published source details Boyd S.E. & Rees H.L. (2003) An examination of the spatial scale of impact on the marine benthos arising from marine aggregate extraction in the central English Channel.. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 57, 1-16.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
| Action | Category | |
|---|---|---|
|
Extract aggregates from a vessel that is moving rather than static Action Link |
 |
-
Extract aggregates from a vessel that is moving rather than static
A site comparison study in 2000 of two soft seabed areas in the central English Channel, UK (Boyd & Rees 2003) found that using moving trailer rather than static suction hopper dredgers during aggregate extraction appeared to result in a similar number of invertebrate species, and a lower species diversity, but a higher abundance. Data were not statistically tested. The number of species at trailer- and static-dredged sites were similar (trailer: 20; static: 21). Species diversity was lower at the trailer dredged site than at the static dredged site (data presented as diversity indices). However, abundance of invertebrates was higher at the trailer dredged site (1,617 individuals/sample) compared to the static dredged site (103). In June 2000, sediment samples were collected using a sediment grab (0.1 m2) from two sites at 18–25 m depths. One site had been dredged since 1968 by static suction, while the other had been dredged since 1989 by trailer suction. Invertebrates >0.5 mm were identified and counted from three to four samples/site.
(Summarised by: Anaëlle Lemasson)
)_2023.JPG)
