Darwin Mounds

First discovered in 1998, the Darwin Mounds are unique. They are a collection of sandy and cold-water coral mounds, located some 1,000m below the surface of the ocean, about 185km north-west of Cape Wrath, the north-west tip of mainland Scotland. There are hundreds of mounds in the field, which in total cover approximately 100 sq km. Individual mounds are typically circular, up to 5m high and 100m wide.

On 23 October 2001, UK Minister Margaret Beckett made a commitment at WWF's Oceans Recovery Summit in Edinburgh to protect the Darwin Mounds. The summit launched the Edinburgh Declaration, targeting politicians and marine stakeholders alike to sign up to action to safeguard the seas.

According to latest information, fish landings of target species in the area (VI ) such as Round-nosed grenadier and Orange roughy have doubled. Landings of Orange roughy have increased (2001 latest assessment) from 130 tonnes to 280 tonnes. The Round-nosed grenadier catch has doubled from 433 tonnes to 955 tonnes. Many of the species are landed in North West Scottish ports such as Lochinver. French and Irish deep water trawlers dominate the fishing. The Orange Roughy is also severely threatened by over-exploitation as it does not mature till it is aged 30. The population had already declined by 70% by 1998.