Wyville Thomson Ridge (0924S) Imagery Analysis

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the statutory adviser to the UK Government and devolved administrations on UK and international nature conservation Our role is to provide scientific evidence, information, and advice to inform decisions to protect the natural environment. Our specific role is to work on nature conservation issues that affect the UK as a whole and internationally, by: • advising Government on the development and implementation of policies for, or affecting, nature conservation in the UK and internationally; • providing advice and disseminating knowledge on nature conservation issues affecting the UK and internationally; • establishing common standards throughout the UK for nature conservation, including monitoring, research, and the analysis of results; and • commissioning or supporting research which it deems relevant to these functions. Background to JNCC can be found on JNCC's website at: https://jncc.gov.uk/about-jncc/ 2. Project Aims JNCC wishes to commission a contract to undertake the analysis of seabed imagery (still images and video) collected on the 0924S survey from a drop-frame camera. Seabed imagery will be analysed using the image and video annotation software BIIGLE . During 0924S, imagery data was collected for MPA monitoring purposes. The total number of sampled drop-camera stations was 80; circa 38 hours of high-definition video. Due to technical difficulties, the camera had to be restarted during 4 transects, resulting in multiple videos for these transects, giving a total of 85 videos to be analysed. Videos from one transect should be analysed together. A total of 3,530 still images were collected across 79 of the drop-camera stations. More detailed metadata will be provided including information from logs and the survey report. Throughout the tender process, guest access to the 2024 BIIGLE project will be provided to allow review of the available images. The successful contractor will be provided with access to the 2024 BIIGLE project and the annotated 2018 WTR seabed imagery to aid with identification. Please note that experience in the identification of deep-sea taxa is required to complete this contract. The bid submission should clearly state which of the following options are being bid for, please provide a quote for either option 1, 2 or 3: Option 1 Video analysis, please provide a quote for the cost and breakdown per video hour Option 2 Stills analysis, please provide a quote for the cost and breakdown of the number of stills Option 3 Video analysis and stills analysis, please provide a quote for complete analysis of all imagery (video and stills), breaking down the costs as per options 1 and 2. 3. Project Background JNCC and the Marine Directorate of the Scottish Government (MD) conducted a survey aboard MRV Scotia (0924S) in 2024 to gather evidence to monitor Wyville Thomson Ridge Special Area of Conservation (WTR) (Figure 1) and inform assessment of the extent and condition of the designated features of the site. A survey of WTR was conducted in 2017/18, but the 0924S survey will form the first monitoring point (T0) in the time series at WTR. WTR is located to the northwest of mainland Scotland at the northern end of the Rockall Trough, with the closest land approximately 77 km away at Rona, Scotland. The site has an area of 1,740 km2 and a depth range of 350 m to 1000 m. The designated features of WTR are listed in Table 1. Further information on WTR can be found at the JNCC site information centre https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/wyville-thomson-ridge-mpa/. Table 1. Designated features of Wyville Thomson Ridge SAC. Feature Feature type 1170 Reefs Annex I Habitat Annex I Reef Reefs are formed by biogenic concretions or non-biogenic substrata, which arise from the seafloor and so are topographically distinct from their surroundings (European Commission 2013a). They are generally found in the subtidal zone but may extend in a broken transition into the intertidal zone. Annex I reefs include biogenic reefs, bedrock reefs and stony reefs. The UK has a greater range and extent of rocky reefs than biogenic reefs, and rocky reefs are extremely variable in their structure and in the communities they support (Brown et al. 1997). They range from vertical rock walls to horizontal ledges, sloping or flat bed rock, broken rock, boulder fields, and aggregations of cobbles. A variety of invertebrates can inhabit rocky reefs, including sponges, corals, and sea squirts, which attach to the rock surface. Mobile species, such as fish, lobsters and crustaceans, may also use rocky reefs for shelter. Both types of rocky reefs - bedrock reefs and stony reefs - are protected features within WTR. Bedrock reef Bedrock reef occurs where the bedrock that underlies surface sediments on the seafloor arises from the surrounding seabed, creating a habitat that is colonised by many different marine animals and plants. Bedrock is consolidated rock and can be composed of most rock types (granite, limestone, sandstone etc.). Stony reef Stony reef occurs where 10% or more of the seabed substratum are composed of particles greater than 64 mm across, i.e. cobbles and boulders (European Commission 2013a). The remaining supporting 'matrix' could be of smaller sized material. The reef may be consistent in its coverage or it may form patches with intervening areas of finer sediment. Epifaunal species dominate biological cover. Stony reef should be topographically distinct from the surrounding sea floor with a minimum area of 25 m2 (this also applies to the total area of a patchy reef) (Irving, 2009). Iceberg ploughmarks can be considered as a special type of stony reef. They occur along the UK continental shelf edge off northern and western Scotland, including in WTR (Irving 2009). Iceberg 'ploughmarks' consist of ridges of boulders, cobbles and gravel where finer sediments have been winnowed away by high energy currents at the site, interspersed with finer sediment troughs up to 5 -10 m deep (Masson et al., 2000). They are thought to have been formed by the ploughing movement of icebergs through the seabed at the end of the last ice age. The iceberg ploughmarks in WTR are stable and consolidated and have been classified as stony reef (Irving 2009). Although the Irving (2009) stony reef criteria can be applied in WTR, as iceberg ploughmark Annex I Reef is a special case of Annex I stony reef, regardless of the substrate present, the area identified as iceberg ploughmarks is considered to be Annex I Reef. The patchy nature of stony substrate within the wider iceberg ploughmark area results in a small-scale mosaic of stony and non-stony substrate of the seabed. Hence, small scale variation in the presence or absence of stony reef substratum can occur within the wider Annex I Reef area. Biogenic reef Biogenic reefs are made up of hard matter, formed by animals themselves. The reef structure can be composed of the reef-building organism (including its tubes or shells), or it may also be composed of sediments, stones and shells that the organism has bond together. In the deep sea, the main species that form biogenic reefs include cold-water corals (e.g. Lophelia pertusa, Madrepora oculata and Solenosmilia variabilis). Biogenic reefs can provide complex habitats for species assemblages, such as for sponges, bryozoans, and sea squirts. WTR 2024 Survey (0924S) The 0924S survey departed from Aberdeen on the 23rd of July 2024 and returned to Aberdeen on the 12th of August 2024. Data from this survey will form the first time point (T0) of a monitoring series. The monitoring aims and objectives of survey 0924S relating to seabed imagery are: 1. Collect evidence to inform type one (sentinel) monitoring of the structure and function of Annex I Reef at WTR SAC. 2. Collect evidence to inform the physical extent and distribution of the Annex I Reef within WTR SAC. Imagery was collected with a drop-frame camera (DC) system, towed by the vessel at a target speed of 0.5 knots and a target altitude of 1 m. The following instruments were mounted on the drop-frame camera: • Kongsberg OE 14-408 digital stills camera (10 MP) mounted in a planar (downwards facing) orientation • High definition SubC 1 Alpha video camera in a planar orientation • Four-point (green) laser-scaling with the bottom two set to 67 mm spacing • Additionally: four SEALED lamps, Valeport CTD, Ultra-short Baseline (USBL) acoustic positioning beacon Sampling during the 0924S survey was stratified by zones and depth. Seven zones were selected for the purposes of sampling design, with seven depth contours chosen from within these zones (Figure 2). Video and stills imagery were collected from 80 stations across the seven depth bands. The 300, 400, 450 and 800 m depth bands were prioritised and all stations at these depths, across all zones, were sampled. It was not possible to sample the 500, 600 and 700 m depth bands in all zones during the survey (Figure 3). At each station, the camera tow was continued until a suitable number of images had been collected. As a result, the length of video tows varies. In total, 38 hours and 13 minutes of video and 3,530 still images will be analysed (Table 2). All imagery will be made available via a BIIGLE project. Access to the imagery via the BIIGLE project can be provided on request to aid in the tendering process (see contacts for technical information on page 1) and more detailed metadata will be provided to the successful contractor following contract award.