Mewstone Echinoderm or Corner Ground
Lat/long
50 17.05N 50 18.17N	04 10.65W 04 06.82W
50 17.37N 50 17.25N	04 10.42W 04 06.75W

Location description (1957)

Mewstone Echinoderm or Corner Ground (23-25 fm.). From 2-4 miles south to south-west of the Mewstone. At one time this was one of the most profitable grounds in the neighbourhood on which to shoot a trawl when it was desired to obtain a good and varied collection of invertebrates. Between the wars it was almost entirely ruined by refuse tipped upon it from "dirt barges" from Plymouth and Devonport. Although the amount of tipping has now been somewhat reduced, the ground has not recovered and trawling upon it takes place much less frequently than formerly. The original bottom soil consisted of coarse muddy gravel. The trawl, after a successful haul, may still contain a few Echinus esculentus; an occasional Solaster papposus and Buccinum undatum; Portunus depurator, Eupagurus bernhardus in Buccinum shells, some carrying Calliactis parasitica, others Hydractinia echinata; Eupagurus prideauxi with Adamsia palliata, Chlamys opercularis, Chlamys tigerina not uncommon, and an occasional specimen of Pecten maximus; Galathea dispersa, Inachus dorsettensis, Macropodia longirostris, Ascidiella scabra, a few Marthasterias glacialis and Asterias rubens and varying quantities of Sertularella gayi, Cellaria sinuosa and C. fistulosa, according to the position of the haul. Inside the Echinoderm Ground, between it and the Amphioxus ground, there is a stretch of coarse, muddy gravel which is covered almost exclusively with the brittle-star Ophiothrix fragilis. A dredge hauled on this ground often comes up full of these echinodenns, considerable numbers of large Ophiocomina nigra being mixed with them. On this ground and to the westward of it, Pandalina brevirostris is present in large numbers. A varied collection of fishes is generally obtained particularly thornback rays, with a few R. montagui and R. brachyura, Scyliorhinus canicula, Gadus minutus, Lophius piscatorius; seasonally Gadus merlangus may be plentiful. Gadus luscus is sometimes present in large numbers and often is absent altogether. Arnoglossus laterna and Callionymus lyra are always present in considerable numbers.

Updated information

No updated information

Species List

>Crossaster papposus Hero formosa Maja squinado