1517S Cruise Report - Monitoring survey of North-east Faroe Shetland Channel NCMPA, Wyville Thomson Ridge SAC & West Shetland Shelf NCMPA

A preliminary report an offshore seabed survey on the Marine Research Vessel Scotia from 20 October 2017 to 9 November 2017.

The aim of the 1517S survey was to gather initial data for a site monitoring time-series for North-east Faroe Shetland Channel Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area, Wyville Thomson Ridge Special Area of Conservation and West Shetland Shelf Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area. The survey gathered evidence to inform assessment of the condition of the protected features of the site for comparison against future data to monitor the rate and direction of any changes. This will allow assessment of the long-term effectiveness of current proposed management measures.

Please note that observations made in this Cruise Report represent preliminary field observations which precede quality controlled data analysis. These observations have not been subject to JNCC’s Evidence Quality Assurance procedures. This disclaimer should be included when referencing this Cruise Report.