Gerrans Bay Seagrass Bed Extent from 170 Acoustic Survey Lines

170 acoustic survey lines were completed using a Biosonics MX Scientific Echosounder to map seagrass extent and coverage within Gerrans Bay. Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority conducted the survey on behalf of Cornwall Wildlife Trust as part of a blue carbon mapping project funded by the G7 Legacy Fund. The survey site is within the Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay Special Protection Area.

Use Cases

• Estimate blue carbon storage potential based on mapped seagrass extent.
• Monitor changes in coastal marine habitats based on geospatial survey data.
• Support marine conservation planning based on data from a Special Protection Area.
• Analyze acoustic survey methodology for underwater vegetation mapping.

Strengths

• 170 survey lines provide a detailed spatial sampling of the area.
• Data collection used a specialized Biosonics MX Scientific Echosounder.
• Survey conducted within a designated Special Protection Area (SPA).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (Cornwall IFCA) on behalf of Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Collection Method

Acoustic survey using a Biosonics MX Scientific Echosounder.

Geography

Gerrans Bay, within the Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay Special Protection Area (SPA), Cornwall.