Survey run by Field Studies Council (Oil Pollution Research Unit) for the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC). All these records relate to "Dixon (1988) Surveys of Harbours, Rias and Estuaries in Southern Britain: Christchurch Harbour". A copy of the report is held at English Nature (Dorset Team).
This report is from the series 'Surveys of Harbours, Rias and Estuaries in Southern Britain' commissioned by the Nature Conservancy Council between 1985-1988. The study aims to review existing information and undertake further fieldwork, where required. The first volume of each study provides a report of the field surveys. The aim of the fieldwork was to collect information on the abundance of macrofauna and flora (at sites selected to include a wide range of different shore and seabed types, areas of known or likely nature conservation importance, or where rare or unusual species might be present). The combined intertidal and subtidal survey took place during 13th -18th June 1987 and a total of 32 sites were sampled. Sites 1 to 23 were sited on the extensive intertidal sediments. At each intertidal site, the habitats present were recorded and infauna sampled by a combination of coring and qualitative recording. Subtidal surveying was undertaken at 6 sites along the main channel using a pipe-dredge, and at 3 sites divers recorded habitat type and conspicuous species.