2016 Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Sea Change Wester Ross/SubSea TVdiver benthic camera survey

The primary aim of this benthic survey in Wester Ross, run by Sea Change Wester Ross/SubSea TV for SNH on the 21st - 25th August 2016, was to improve knowledge of the occurrence and distribution of habitats and species and refine knowledge of the MPA protected feature distribution using diver handheld video. Video footage and still images were recorded at 9 stations. Through the analysis of seabed video and stills, the images were used to describe the nature of the seabed in terms of the physical structure and the species assemblages. Runs and run segments were assessed for the presence of protected features and other PMFs, as well as for the presence of species and habitats of recognised conservation importance. Runs traversing a sequence of habitats were split into corresponding segments. Species present were, as far as possible, identified and quantified using the semi-quantitative MNCR SACFOR scale and biotopes were allocated based on the physical and biological attributes.