1.1 The long-running proposal for a dredge survey of razor fish in the south of Liverpool Bay has now been completed. Agreement was reached with Natural England that the survey would have no likely significant effect on the Liverpool Bay SPA, and authorisation was issued in May 2007.

1.2 Due to prolonged poor weather, progress with the survey was very slow, and the authorisation was renewed in July to allow completion.

1.3 The trial was carefully monitored by a firm of consultants from Liverpool, and it is expected that their report will be finalised soon. This will, however, have to be treated as commercial in confidence. It is understood that the survey was successful, and that areas with commercial potential were identified.

1.4 Officers agreed 2 amendments to the proposal that was accepted at the Joint Committee meeting in March. An early finding was that the razor fish seemed more numerous in some of the inshore areas off Southport. It was therefore agreed that the authorised area should be extended further inshore (although remaining sublittoral). The original area is shown at Annex A.

1.5 The second amendment was a change from 30 tows each of 200 metres to 60 tows of 100m length. Officers agreed with the consultants that this would give better coverage of the area, and would yield more meaningful results.