Scottish government promises more sea surveys

Scottish environment minister Richard Lochhead has promised further studies in 2012 into the biodiversity of the nation’s coastal waters after surveys this year which discovered a number of rare and unexpected species.

A total of 15 surveys were carried out this year covering 2,000 square miles of seabed. They found species such as the fan mussel, at up to 48 cm long Scotland’s largest sea shell, and the rarely seen Amphioxus.