Development of a GIS of the Moray Firth (Scotland, UK) and its applicationin environmental management (site selection for an 'artificial reef')

Natural reef structures in inshore waters have for centuries provided a foc us for the growth of high densities of fish populations. Recent decades hav e seen the successful replication of this effect using artificial reef stru ctures, particularly those created in the Gulf of Mexico using redundant oi l and gas platforms. Recognising the success elsewhere has led to a conside ration of the potential of this approach in North Sea waters, exemplified b y a feasibility study for establishing an artificial reef in the Moray Firt h (Scotland, UK). The Moray Firth is an area of outstanding biological impo rtance which, like other Scottish estuaries, is under increasing threat fro m the pressure of industry, shipping and recreational activities. A necessa ry first step towards proper conservation and management of natural resourc es is the collation of detailed knowledge of the marine and coastal charact eristics of the Firth. Most of the existing relevant data on the Moray Firt h is in map or tabular form. As a contribution to the systematic collection of environmental data in a computer compatible form, data on prioritized t hemes were input to a geographical information system (GIS) as a series of computerized baseline datasets. From this GIS it is possible to practise ra tional planning of environmental resources, based on objective criteria. It is also possible to model and evaluate the likely impact of a proposed dev elopment. A recent example was concerned with the feasibility of constructi ng a steel 'artificial reef from 'materials of opportunity', using decommis sioned platforms from the oil and gas industry in the North Sea. The result s obtained by applying established conventional empirical procedures for si te selection were compared with the results of a rigorous GIS-based approac h, to identify optimal locations far the possible siting of an 'artificial reef. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.