A total of three protected features were identified within the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area. These comprised: ‘kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment,’ which was widely distributed in the survey area; ‘burrowed mud,’ which was generally restricted to the inner areas of Loch Ewe and Little Loch Broom; and ‘maerl beds,’ identified around Carn nan Sgeir and Tanera Mor and Beg. The Priority Marine Feature, ‘kelp beds’, which is not currently a protected feature of the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area, was also identified at the Mellon Udrigle, West of Loch Ewe and Tanera Mor and Beg sites.
• Three protected features were identified within the Small Isles Marine Protected Area. These comprised: ‘burrowed mud,’ which was present on the
east and southeast coast of Rum, with the protected feature component species Funiculina quadrangularis present on ten video segments; ‘northern sea fan and sponge communities,’ with the northern sea fan Swiftia dubia identified on 14 video segments all around the Isle of Rum, the component biotopes CR.MCR.EcCr.CarSwi and CR.HCR.XFa.SwiLgAs, and the low/limited mobility species Parazoanthus anguicomus, which was identified in association with the northern sea fan and sponge communities on a single line. • A total of four Priority Marine Features were also recorded within the Small Isles Marine Protected Area. ‘Maerl beds’ was recorded on a single video segment at Guirdil; ‘kelp beds,’ recorded as the component biotope IR.MIR.KR.Lhyp, was observed at a total of five stations at the West of Rum, Guirdil and Canna West sites; and ‘kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment’ was observed on 15 video segments. In addition, the Priority Marine Feature ‘shallow tide-swept coarse sands with burrowing bivalves’ was tentatively assigned to two lines east of Canna.
• Within the Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh Marine Protected Area both protected features – burrowed mud and flame shell beds – were observed. Flame shell beds (SS.SMx.IMx.Lim) were identified at six stations. The highest densities of Limaria hians nests were observed on tow 72, although due to video quality and seabed visibility issues, densities may have been underestimated. Burrowed mud, with common complex burrows and the protected feature component species Funiculina quadrangularis, was observed at all four stations within Loch Alsh (73-76), with the biotope SS.SMu.CFiMu.SpnMeg.Fun recorded in all cases.
• Within Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh Marine Protected Area two Priority Marine Features features were identified. Aggregations of the limited mobility species Leptometra celtica were observed on burrowed muddy mixed sediment on line 76. In addition, the ‘kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment’ biotope component SS.SMp.KSwSS.SlatR was recorded at five stations at Kyleakin.
• The protected feature ‘flame shell beds’ was identified at one of the three stations conducted within Loch Carron Marine Protected Area. The Priority Marine Feature ‘kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment’ biotope component SS.SMp.KSwSS.SlatR was recorded at all three stations.
• A total of six protected feature biotopes were identified in South Arran Marine Protected Area. Maerl beds (SS.SMp.Mrl) were identified at all sites within South Arran Marine Protected Area with the exception of Whiting Bay, with the sub-biotope SS.SMp.Mrl.Pcal.Nmix recorded at two stations. The ‘maerl or coarse shell gravel with burrowing sea cucumbers’ protected feature
component biotope SS.SCS.CCS.Nmix was recorded at six stations, all at the Iron Rock Ledges site. Seagrass beds, with seagrass densities of up to 40 - 79% observed, were recorded at a total of 12 stations, all within Whiting Bay. The ‘kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment’ protected feature was identified at several stations within the Marine Protected Area, with two component biotopes recorded (SS.SMp.KSwSS.SlatR and SS.SMp.KSwSS.Bon). • Outside of South Arran Marine Protected Area, a total of four Priority Marine Features component biotopes were identified: ‘kelp and seaweed communities on sublittoral sediment,’ observed at several sites at Inchmarnock, North Brodick, Skipness and Lochranza; ‘maerl beds,’ which was recorded at the North Brodick and Inchmarnock sites, though live maerl densities were generally low (< 5%); and ‘burrowed mud,’ which was recorded at five stations at the Inchmarnock site.