Sparling (or smelt) Osmerus eperlanus	Estuaries (including saltmarshes and eelgrass beds) Fish The Tay Estuary provides nursery grounds for fish such as Dover sole Solea slea, Sand eel spp. and Herring Clupea harengus. Several species use the estuary to migrate to their freshwater spawning grounds such as Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, Sea trout Salmo trutta and Twaite shad Alosa fallax. The Tay Estuary supports one of only three spawning grounds for Sparling (smelt) Osmerus eperlanus in Scotland. This inshore migratory fish was at one time widespread in many estuaries. It is now restricted to just three in Scotland - the River Cree, River Forth and River Tay. Its population in the Tay Estuary has been very little studied and its ecology not yet clearly understood. Sparling use gravel beds and areas of small pebbles at the limit of the tidal limit in which to spawn, the prime time for which is triggered by the first full moon in March. As they are very selective in choosing their spawning sites (using only clean estuaries) they were, in the past, very susceptible to pollution. There are at present three boats on the Tay which fish for Sparling on a small scale between September and early March.
NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY CONTEXT There is a UK Broad Habitat Statement for Estuaries. This gives the following conservation direction: Maintain and enhance the extent and quality of estuarine habitats in the UK, including the full diversity of estuarine communities. Measures to be considered further include: Protect estuaries from coastal development and other activities which cause environmental damage. Review the powers and duties of coastal and other authorities for safeguarding this habitat. Identify the full diversity of wildlife features and maintain the extent and quality of this resource. Promote management within the framework of SACs and other coastal zone strategies which permit the natural functioning of sediment systems. Improve water quality via catchment management and other pollution control mechanisms. Develop plans for new estuarine habitats to help compensate for losses because of a rise in sea level. Reduce the environmental impact of fisheries. There are UK Habitat Action Plans for Coastal and Floodplain Grazing Marsh; Coastal Saltmarsh; Mudflats (revised); and Seagrass Beds. ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT Much survey work has been carried out in the Tay Estuary and Montrose Basin as part of the designation processes and ongoing monitoring. A full habitat survey of all the estuarine habitats in Tayside is needed in order to set up effective, area-wide monitoring, particularly for the areas not subject to designation. Site Condition Monitoring of SSSIs is carried out in a 6 year cycle. CURRENT FACTORS CAUSING LOSS OR DECLINE Land claim and development Climate change and consequent sea level rise Nutrient enrichment from farmland and waste effluent Marine pollution Human disturbance Bait digging The introduction of new or non-native species Maintenance dredging Shipping accidents Beam trawlers and scallop dredgers Waste tipping Laying of cables and pipelines MAIN THREATS TO KEY SPECIES Common seal - Pollution - Disturbance - Future sea level rise UK importance of Tayside population: high Otter - Pollution - Disturbance - Development UK importance of Tayside population: moderate Bar-tailed godwit - Habitat loss - Disturbance - Future sea-level rise UK importance of Tayside population: high Twaite shad National threats include - Pollution - Overfishing - Habitat destruction Specific threats in Tayside not known. Lack of information makes it difficult to assess types and levels of threat. UK importance of Tayside population: high Sparling (smelt) - Disturbance of nursery areas Lack of information makes it difficult to assess levels of threat. UK importance of Tayside population: high Eelgrass (Zostera) - Pollution - Mobile fishing gear - Development. UK importance of Tayside population: moderate OPPORTUNITIES AND CURRENT ACTION The Tay Estuary Forum is developing a Management Plan for the whole estuary The pSAC Tay Estuary, if adopted as an SAC, will require a management scheme for the designated area There is a Montrose Basin Management Plan in place Inner Tay Local Nature Reserve (LNR): Management Agreements and Prescriptions are in place for landowners who have signed up to the LNR All estuarine SSSIs are subject to conservation legislation OBJECTIVES & TARGETS Objectives Targets 1 Ensure no net loss in area or reduction in quality of estuarine habitats in Tayside. Where necessary and where possible improve estuarine habitats in order for them to sustain typical estuarine wildlife, especially those of international and national importance. Encourage land managers and planners to develop policies that will prevent loss of the quality and quantity of the habitat by 2005. 2 Meet and maintain Class A (Excellent) water quality standards in all of the region’s estuaries using the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) Classification Scheme to monitor chemical and biological quality. All estuaries to have Class A water quality by 2005. Class A standard to be maintained beyond 2005. 3 Establish adequate site safeguard policies in relevant strategic and other plans, including organisations’ workplans, such that decision-makers and users of estuaries take account of the conservation of biodiversity in all matters relating to estuarine habitats. Policies to be in all relevant plans by 2003. 4 Maintain and protect the quality and integrity of designated sites. Ensure that a comprehensive set of management plans is completed and that monitoring programmes are put in place. Seek to apply prescriptions and principles to all estuarine habitats in the region. Management plans to be written for all designated areas by 2003. 5 Set up a five-year programme to raise awareness of biodiversity, its importance and the need for its conservation in Tayside. Include estuaries in this programme. Set up a public awareness programme by 2003. Run public awareness programme until 2005. CE1 PAGE 1 CE1 PAGE 2 CE1 PAGE 3 CE1 PAGE 4 CE1 MAP
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