Open Government Licence (OGL)

The lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus is a key component of the North East Atlantic ecosystem but little is known about its distribution outside of fished areas. In this study, species distribution models were developed to predict the occurrence and density of sandeels in parts of the North Sea and Celtic Seas regions. A hurdle model was found to be the best fitting model with the highest predictive performance; model evaluation with independent data demonstrated that it had significant discrimination ability across the study region. The distribution model helps refine past inferences about sandeel availability to predators and indicates to marine planners potential areas where anthropogenic impacts should be considered

This layer shows the probability of presence of buried sandeels in the Celtic Seas region

The lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus is a key component of the North East Atlantic ecosystem but little is known about its distribution outside of fished areas. In this study, species distribution models were developed to predict the occurrence and density of sandeels in parts of the North Sea and Celtic Seas regions. A hurdle model was found to be the best fitting model with the highest predictive performance; model evaluation with independent data demonstrated that it had significant discrimination ability across the study region. The distribution model helps refine past inferences about sandeel availability to predators and indicates to marine planners potential areas where anthropogenic impacts should be considered.

This layer shows the predicted density of buried sandeels (number per m^2) in the North Sea region

The lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus is a key component of the North East Atlantic ecosystem but little is known about its distribution outside of fished areas. In this study, species distribution models were developed to predict the occurrence and density of sandeels in parts of the North Sea and Celtic Seas regions. A hurdle model was found to be the best fitting model with the highest predictive performance; model evaluation with independent data demonstrated that it had significant discrimination ability across the study region. The distribution model helps refine past inferences about sandeel availability to predators and indicates to marine planners potential areas where anthropogenic impacts should be considered

This layer shows the predicted density of buried sandeels (number per m^2) in the Celtic Seas region

‘Lease/Lease Agreement’ is a legal agreement from Crown Estate Scotland whereby an area of foreshore or seabed is occupied by a third party (a 'tenant') for an agreed purpose, such as carbon capture and storage, and which gives consent for the tenant to develop on the lease site(s), if other required permissions are gained.

This layer shows areas where there is a Crown Estate Scotland Lease/Lease Agreement in place for carbon capture and storage (CCS)