Marine Biodiversity Data Portal - NI

Orlock Point, Belfast Lough.

[Site list for year 1985]

Survey number: 555 Event number: 19850701/21 Date: 1985-07-01 GPS: 54.67600,-5.58200. Depth: 3.5 to 0.2 m. [ View map ]

Site Description: The location is generally considered to be the outermost point of the south shore of Belfast Lough. It consists of exposed highly fissured rock ridges formed from a slate like stone. The ridges have both vertical/steep and more gently sloping habitats. The latter of which afford some shelter to the upper shore. In one area, sheltered ridges occur behind higher ones in the lower shore. Stone, boulder and gravel occur in the gullies between the ridges. Typically the shore is patellobarnacle dominated with a Fucus serratus, Mastocarpus, Palmaria, Phymatolithon, Laminaria lower shore and Hydropunctaria maura (orginally recorded as Verrucaria maura supralittoral. The zones are very marked, and occur mainly on the vertical rocks. The more gently sloping ridges have an upper shore of Fucus spiralis and Pelvetia and the barnacles are patchier in the mid shore. The gullies have an extensive Fucus serratus/Fucus vesiculosus cover and the sheltered area a large well covered area of Ascophyllum on ridges, stones and boulders which occur here. The transect is situated on a shallowly sloping ridge with an upper fucoid zone.