Shellfish reef off UK's west coast may be biggest in world - Business Standard

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The discovery of a large shellfish reef on the west coast of the UK could be the biggest find of its kind in the world, experts say.

More than 100 million brightly coloured and rare shellfish have been found in Loch Alsh, a sea inlet between Skye and the Scottish mainland.

The reef of flame shells, or Limaria hians, was found to cover an area of 7.5 sq km during a survey commissioned by Marine Scotland, The Independent reported.

It is the largest known colony of flame shells in the UK and possibly the world, according to experts.

"The seas around Scotland are a hotbed of biodiversity and the clean and cold waters support many fascinating and beautiful species," Scottish Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said.

"With Scottish waters covering an area around five times bigger than our landmass, it's a huge challenge to try and understand more about our diverse and precious sea life. This important discovery may be the largest grouping of flame shells anywhere in the world," Lochhead said.

"And not only are flame shells beautiful to look at, these enigmatic shellfish form a reef that offers a safe and productive environment for many other species," Lochhead added.

Flame shells have a similar shape to scallops with many neon orange tentacles that appear between the two shells. They group together on the sea bed and their nests create a living reef to support hundreds of other species.

The Loch Alsh survey was carried out by Heriot-Watt University on behalf of Marine Scotland, the paper quoted PA news agency as reporting.

"Too often, when we go out to check earlier records of a particular species or habitat we find them damaged, struggling or even gone," Dr Dan Harries, from the university's School of Life Sciences, said.

"We are delighted that in this instance we found not just occasional patches but a huge and thriving flame shell community extending right the way along the entrance narrows of Loch Alsh. This is a wonderful discovery for all concerned," Harries said.

"Our job has been to advise ministers on suitable places for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and to do that we need to have enough information about what's in the marine environment," Ben James, marine survey and monitoring manager at Scottish Natural Heritage, said.

"Whilst we had some records of flame shells in Loch Alsh, we had no idea how big the bed was. We needed more certainty before recommending them as a protected feature of this MPA proposal," James said.

"It's great to have this new information and it's yet another example of the fantastic diversity of Scotland's marine environment," James added.