CEFAS23-110 Contract for Beachy Head East MCZ Subtidal Habitats Baseline Survey

Cefas requires a Supplier to undertake a grabbing and Drop Down Video (DDV) survey at the Beachy Head East Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ), during Summer/Autumn 2023. The survey is required to be completed by 31st October 2023. The work supports the ongoing monitoring objectives of Natural England at the site.

A total of 18 mini-Hamon-grab stations are planned for sampling using a standard 0.1m2 mini-Hamon grab. At 6 of the stations, triplicate grabs will be collected resulting in 30 grabs in total. All station locations are adapted from previous surveys (2012, and a recent 2023 survey) and, if possible, will be sampled at a +/- 10 m accuracy; if this is not possible then the reason for any deviation should be recorded.

Thirty 50m DDV camera tows will be conducted within a 100m bull ring at each station, with still images collected approximately every 10 seconds during the transect to acquire enough high-quality images for analysis.