A qualitative pipe-dredge survey was undertaken by Ken Collins and Jenny Mallinson in 1990 as part of a proposed oil pipeline environmental impact assessment, and has formed the basis for this quantitative diving survey. Six days diving were carried out during the summer of 2000 with the help of volunteers. Since tidal currents are strong in the survey area, surveys were carried out around the slack periods during neap tides. Typically 3 pairs of divers were deployed at 100m spacing. Each pair collected all the live maerl from within two 0.5m2 quadrats at the drop point and then moved with the current some 100m to repeat the exercise.
Over 110 samples were collected, dried and weighed to give a quantitative measure of the maerl density and distribution. Drift dives were also carried out to confirm the general pattern of distribution. The samples entered here record the presence of live maerl and have been provided electronically by Dr Ken Collins to Dorset Environmental Records Centre for inclusion on the Dorset Marine Biodiversity Database.
Please note, these records have also been incorporated into subsequent reports written by the same author.