| Abstract: | 1. Records of maerl beds in Irish waters were compiled from the following sources: Admiralty Charts, published/unpublished ecological/geological accounts, and personal communications/observations. 2. Geographic and depth distributions of maerl records in Irish waters are discussed. Two main areas, Galway Bay–Connemara and South West Ireland, were identified as harbouring the highest concentrations of confirmed records, with maximum depth of confirmed records being approximately 25–30 m. 3. Deposits shown as ‘crl’ markings on older Admiralty Charts may refer to maerl and are situated at greater depths (to 95 m) and are further offshore than confirmed deposits (to 32 m), the latter being based on more recent observations. 4. Although the precise number of maerl beds in Irish waters cannot be assessed from the available records, the minimum number of larger beds (>1 km2), based on confirmed records only, is 35–40 beds located in 18 areas. In addition, along the south‐west coastline numerous smaller spatial aggregations (as small as 1–5 m2) occur. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
