Seagrass-Watch Magazine Issue 47 - March 2013 | Page 37

Wales

Porth
Dinllaen
impacts & solutions
Article by
Alison Palmer Hargrave
& Richard Unsworth
Photography by
Paul Kay, Rosemary Mc Closkey,
Tom Mercer & Rohan Holt

W

ales has an
amazing coastline
Wales
ranging from wind
swept cliff tops to
sheltered bays. Amongst this
we have some unique and rare
habitats such as methane reefs,
honeycomb worm reef and seagrass. Due to this
amazing range of habitats and species much of the
Welsh coast is designated as Special Areas of
Conservation (SAC). One of the largest SACs in the
UK is in north Wales and spans from Nefyn on the
north coast to about a mile north of Aberystwyth
and is called Pen Llyn a'r Sarnau.
There are many habitats and species that make Pen
Llyn a'r Sarnau a special and important place, one
of which is seagrass. A bay within the SAC called
Porth Dinllaen contains one of the largest and
densest seagrass meadows in Wales and is estimated
to be the size of 46 football pitches. This bay is vital
to the local community not only because of its
beauty but because of its traditions and historical
links as a small but functional fishing port. The bay is
also used by a large number of recreational and
other commercial craft, especially through the
summer months.
Mooring boats and seagrass favour the same
sheltered conditions and more than 90 moorings
have been counted within and around the seagrass
at Porth Dinllaen. Aerial images and dive surveys
have shown that this is having an enormous impact
on the seagrass meadow.
PK

MARCH 2013

37