Marine Biodiversity Data Portal - NI

Carrick-a-rede, North Coast.

[Site list for year 1986]

Survey number: 555 Event number: 19860424/21 Date: 1986-04-24 GPS: 55.24000,-6.32900. Depth: 3.5 to 0.2 m. [ View map ]

Site Description: A moderate/exposed steep rock site situated in a bay facing Larry Bane Head. The site is on the northern edge of the cliff face important for nesting fulmars, gulls and other seabirds. The transect is taken down steep rock with a step at the bottom and a lower shore of medium sized boulders on which an extensive laminarian zone is present. The tidal range is small but the zones are extended due to the exposure factor. The mid and upper shores tend to be more exposed than the lower shore boulders as a small ridge provides shelter. There is a small shallow cave situated just off transect but inaccessible. This has a large coverage of encrusting coralline algae extended from the lower shore, and may be due to the shade. Some laminarians were also present. The shore on the other side of the island is more exposed, but had the same basic zonation, but barnacles were much more abundant. All zones had the vertical ranges increased due to higher exposure. The zonation was Alaria and encrusters below a large abundant barnacle zone with extensive Hydropunctaria maura (originally recorded as Verrucaria maura) zone in the splash.