Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation
Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC), in Cardigan Bay, West Wales, UK, has been designated under European Union law to protect a variety of important species and habitats. Located between Ceibwr Bay in Pembrokeshire and Aberarth in Ceredigion, and extending almost 20 km from the coast, the SAC protects the wildlife of some 1000 km² of sea. Conservation aims The protected area supports a large variety of marine animals and plants, from reef-building worms to bottlenose dolphins—Europe’s largest population of the latter, there being few places where they are more easily seen in the wild. There are seven features for whose conservation the area has been designated: Bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus Atlantic grey seals, Halichoerus grypus River lampreys, Lampetra fluviatilis Sea lampreys, Petromyzon marinus Reefs Sandbanks (slightly covered by seawater at all times) Sea caves (submerged or partially submerged) "Cardigan Bay’s Big Three" include bottlenose dolphins, harbor porpoises and Atlantic grey seals. Other mammals, such as minke whales, Risso's dolphins and common dolphins, many species of sea birds such as puffin, and sharks can be seen as well. Seasonal or rarer megafauna visiting the area include humpback whales, Fin whales, sperm whales, pygmy sperm whales, northern bottlenose whales, Sowerby's