Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 11 No 17

Sabellaria spinulosa is a gregarious tube-dwelling marine polychaete, which can form extensive reef habitats that have been identified as a priority for protection under the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic and Annex I of the Habitats Directive. Until recently there was little evidence that these habitats occurred in Scottish waters. However, S. spinulosa aggregations with reef-like properties have recently been observed in seabed imagery collected through a variety of sources from the east coast of Scotland. Video footage, still images and ROV clips collected from five such sites were analysed comprehensively to determine the status of the S. spinulosa habitats by applying existing ‘reefiness’ criteria.