The effect of anchoring disturbance on seabed ecosystems

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The sustainable management of marine resources requires an understanding of the current condition of the marine environment, what good status does/should/could look like and what level and types of human activity are compatible with the achievement or maintenance of a good ecosystem state. Sedimentary seabed ecosystems provide a wide range of important functions. They can have a very high biodiversity, provide food for commercial fish and seabirds of conservation concern, and contribute to the biogeochemistry of nutrient cycling. The UK Marine Strategy (UKMS) and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive require the seabed to be in a good state. Although the effect of other human activities that disturb the seabed, such as bottom trawling and dredging, are well understood and included in assessments, the effects of anchoring, have so far been totally ignored, even though the area of seabed that is affected by anchoring is likely to be larger than the area used for aggregate dredging, and the intensity of disturbance is likely to be severe. Sustainable management of the seabed for anchoring therefore requires an assessment of the footprint of this activity and the disturbance that it causes within this footprint, and how this impact varies with the environmental conditions. Developing a sound understanding of the impact that anchoring can have on the seabed will support the prioritization of environmental management actions for habitats that may currently be affected by this disturbance. This project will be done in collaboration with Natural Resources Wales, and the findings will be of direct relevance to the United Kingdom's national Marine Strategy. The implication of this work has potential for impact more broadly, as the models built and validated by this detailed site-based work in Wales has the potential to be scaled up to understand anchor damage impacts globally.