Skerries and Causeway SCI

Status: Designated

Description

Site overview

This area on the north coast is home to the beautiful harbour porpoise. The area should protect the reefs and sandbanks that are found here, too. 

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MPA Type

Site of Community Importance

Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are strictly protected sites designated under European legislation. They contribute both to the UK MPA network and set up to protect habitat types and species considered to be most in need of conservation at a European level (excluding birds). Sites that have been adopted by the European Commission but not yet formally designated by the government of each country are referred to as Sites of Community Interest (SCIs).

Designation date

1 August 2012

Surface Area

108.64 km2 (41.95 mi.2)

Perimeter

99.83 km (62.03 mi.)

  • Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

    The harbour porpoise is the smallest and most common cetacean recorded in UK waters. 

    Source: PTES

  • Subtidal sandbanks

    Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time

  • Submerged or partially submerged sea caves

    Typically associated with reefs, caves that are either underwater all the time or welcome the sea at high tides, caves provide a habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals.

    Source: JNCC
  • Reefs

    Areas where the bedrock, stable boulders and cobbles or structures created by animals arise from the surrounding seabed. They attract and provide a home to a huge variety of plant and animal life.

    Source: JNCC

Did you know?…

To the shelf limits, Scotland has 61% of UK waters, of which 23% are now in existing or new ‘marine protected areas’

An area over 9 times the size of Wales is now in marine protected areas in the UK, but less than 1% is considered by MCS scientists to be well managed

Over 500,000 records on undersea habitats and species have been collected by volunteer Seasearch divers providing significant evidence for inshore ‘marine protected areas’