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The Atlantic North-West Approaches region differs from the other UK regions in having negligible coastline, and covers waters to the west and north of the 200 m depth contour. The main habitats are large expanses of mud and fine clay but a variety of coarser sediments are found in shallower waters on banks and seamounts. There is seasonal stratification and sea-surface temperature varies from 9 °C in winter to 14 °C in summer. Temperature in the deeper waters is colder and less variable.

Climate change

Rising sea level has no impact in this region because of the absence of coastline, but increasing sea temperature has caused changes in plankton production and distribution.

Maritime economy

The region is remote from major population centres so there are few economically important activities and therefore few pressures. At Rockall, there is a targeted fishery for haddock by Scottish and Irish trawlers (and Russian vessels in adjacent international waters). In the 1990s, some Scottish vessels diverted their activity to deep-water fisheries such as orange roughy, roundnose grenadier and black scabbard fish but low quotas to protect these particularly vulnerable species have all but stopped this activity by UK vessels. Further research is being undertaken to see if these species can be exploited sustainably.

Fishing pressure

There is some evidence that deep-water fish assemblages are less diverse and that large fish are less common than they were prior to exploitation. However, the limited data available mean that we have low confidence in this finding. More certain is the impact of mobile fishing gears on slow-growing and fragile invertebrate species on the seabed including reefs of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa.

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