This site was proposed as part of the MPA network consultation in 2013 but was not taken forward.
History of this MPA
Located to the north-west of the Western Isles in offshore waters, the South-west Sula Sgeir and Hebridean Slope possible MPA descends down the continental slope into the relatively cold and dark depths of the Rockall Trough. The slope is covered by several different habitats, including sandy sediments, deep sea mud and examples of burrowed mud. The possible MPA also includes several internationally important seabed forms, notably ‘iceberg ploughmarks’ – the scars created by fast icebergs grounding on the seabed during past ice ages. [1]
Download the South west Sula Sgeir and Hebridean Slope MPA Site Summary Document
Save Scottish Seas campaign members have assessed the Scottish Government’s MPA proposal for this site as part of its consultation response.
The South west Sula Sgeir and Hebridean Slope possible Nature Conservation MPA has been presented as a science-based alternative to the designation of the Geikie Slide & Hebridean Slope possible Nature Conservation MPA. LINK supports the Geikie Slide & Hebridean Slope possible Nature Conservation MPA becuase it offers the most significant representation of northwest continental shelf slope species and communities such as burrowed mud, offshore deep sea muds, and offshore subtidal sands and gravels. The region also exhibits greater sighting records for cetaceans. Read more here
Check out the official documents relating to the possible South-west Sula Sgeir and Hebridean Slope MPA on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee website.