Priority marine feature surveys within the Small Isles MPA and surrounding waters

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank D. Stirling for providing analytical advice, R. Fryer for providing analytical advice and for reviewing the final report, and D. O'Neill for reviewing the final report. The authors would also like to thank the master and the crew of MRV Alba na Mara for their support during surveys. This work was funded by Scottish Government project SP02Q.

Marine Scotland is the directorate of the Scottish Government responsible for the integrated management of Scotland’s seas. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science is a series of reports that publishes results of research and monitoring carried out by Marine Scotland. It also publishes the results of marine and freshwater scientific work that has been carried out for Marine Scotland under external commission. These reports are not subject to formal external peer-review.

This report presents the results of marine and freshwater scientific work carried out by Marine Scotland.

This report should be quoted as:

Greathead, C., Boschen-Rose*, R. E., Langton, R., Clarke, J., Wright, P. J. and Boulcott, P. (2023) . Priority marine feature surveys within the Small Isles MPA and surrounding waters. Main Report. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 14 No 1, 52p. DOI: 10.7489/1614-1.

Marine Scotland, Marine Laboratory

375 Victoria Road, Aberdeen, AB11 9DB

*corresponding author: rachel.boschen-rose@gov.scot

In memory of Clare Greathead who worked tirelessly analysing and reviewing the imagery data from the Small Isles presented in this report. Her work as a benthic ecologist will live long in the memory, supporting as it did the conservation of marine species within Scottish waters and beyond.