Marine Biodiversity Data Portal - NI

Ardmillan, Strangford Lough.

Survey number: 555 Event number: 19860623/21 Date: 1986-06-23 GPS: 54.49700,-5.67800. Depth: 3.5 to 0.2 m. [ View map ]

Site Description: The location was situated towards the southern end of Ringneill Bay, on the west side of Strangford Lough. This is a large bay, separated from the rest of the Lough by a narrow channel, through which the tide ebbs and floods. The bay empties at low water leaving only narrow channels. Ardmillan Bay is of soft glutinous mud with Enteromorpha turfs on the surface. Macoma and polychaetes and Cerastoderma are the major infauna with many hydrobiids occurring on the surface. Spartina is present towards the shore near the mouth of a large stream flowing onto the mud flats. Boulders with Fucus and Ulva (originally recorded as Enteromorpha) also occur here. Adjacent shores are used for extensive oyster culture and hence of commercial importance to the area. The nature of the sediment did not allow normal methods to be used. Ten random grabs (0.01 sq.m. each) were taken from the lower 2/3 of the intertidal area at high tide, using an Eckman Grab from a boat. The mud was later sieved through a 1mm sieve to retain fauna. This did not obtain a complete species list, but representative common fauna from the communities present.

No images for site.

Species list (4 species recorded)

MOLLUSCA

CHROMOPHYTA

CHLOROPHYTA