Eastern shore between Newton Creek and misery point
Lat/long
50 18.56N 50 18.69N	04 03.30W 04 03.63W
50 18.54N 50 18.66N	04 03.34W 04 03.68W

Location description (1957)

Eastern Shore between Newton Creek and Misery Point. This stretch of shore is protected from the south-west and sheltered from direct wave-action, though subject to tidal currents that may be strong at times. The upper half of the tidal zone is rocky and steep, the lower part shelving and consisting of mud, muddy gravel, and clean gravel in turn. The rock is shale and provides suitable sites for at least some members of the crevice fauna described elsewhere. Characteristic inhabitants of the high-water region are well represented. The red alga Catenella repens is plentiful in a narrow zone at about the same level as Pelvetia; and above it, owing to the lack of wave splash, the land flora starts abruptly within 1 or 2 feet. Ascophyllum nodosum grows in some profusion on the rocks, harbouring the hydroid Clava squamata. In the coarse muddy gravel below half-tide the large terebellid Amphitrite johnstoni is abundant, with its commensal polynoid Gattyana cirrosa. Golfingia elongata and Sabella pavonina occur sparingly. By far the most plentiful burrowing mollusc is Venerupis pullastra, but in the cleaner gravel towards the mouth Mya truncata and Ensis arcuatus become common. A considerable stretch of shore is colonized by the prawn Upogebia deltaura, whose wide circular burrows ramify disconcertingly to the digger, and which are sometimes found to shelter the commensal bivalve Lepton squamosum. An occasional Axius styrhynchus may be found sheltering under casual stones. Altogether an interesting variety of bottom-living animals has been recorded from time to time on this shore. Towards Misery Point, offwhich there is a small submerged Zostera bed, common periwinkles (Littorina littorea) are especially abundant, but the reason why they habitually congregate here is unknown. The Zostera bed is now sparser than it used to be and is rarely accessible for digging; but formerly it was a rich source of polychaetes.

Updated information

Description updated in 1999

Species List

No information available.