2015 Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Sound of Mull benthic camera survey

Survey of benthic habitats within and Sound of Mull, which forms part of the Loch Sunart to Sound of Jura MPA. This survey was undertaken by SNH and Marine Scotland Science (MSS) for SNH on the 24th and 25th September 2015 on board the vessel MRV Alba na Mara (cruise 1415A). Video images were obtained from drop-down video drifts at 11 sites. The main aims of this survey were to monitor MPA management effectiveness and contingency sampling to improve knowledge and distribution of species and habitats of recognised conservation importance. The video and still imagery was used to describe the nature of the seabed in terms of the physical structure and the species assemblages. The presence of protected features (PFs) was recorded for all video samples within the MPA and the presence of priority marine features (PMFs) for all video samples.