2014 Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) biological analyses of Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) Loch Sealg (Loch Shell) underwater video survey

This SNH analyses of underwater video footage collected in Loch Sealg (Loch Shell) is intended to improve knowledge of the occurrence and distribution of the species and habitats of recognised conservation importance and help to improve future nature conservation action by undertaking a marine habitat classification using JNCC standards, and to search for Priority Marine Features (PMF). A drop-down video survey to collect this benthic habitat data was undertaken by SEPA on the 5th and 6th June 2014 on board the SEPA survey vessel Sir John Murray. The underwater video footage was collected using a high definition underwater camera system, custom built for the purposes of environmental monitoring by marine Scotland Science and SNH specifically for use on SEPA's survey vessel, at 29 stations. The seabed video and still photographic imagery material was collected as part of SEPA's work to gauge the health and ecological condition of coastal water bodies but passed to SNH to be analysed by a contractor to describe the nature of the seabed in terms of the physical structure and the species assemblages. Video runs and run segments were assessed for the presence of protected features and other priority marine features (PMFs), as well as for the presence of species and habitats of recognised conservation importance.