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At a depth of about 15m. the ground falls steeply away and particularly off the SE
and NW corners of St. Abbs Head where the tidal flow can be quite strong, the rocks
and walls are covered in soft corals. In orange or pure white and standing about
20cms in height, they make a magnificent sight covering every surface in such
profusion that it is impossible to see the rock surface itself. Each soft coral
colony consists of several fleshy projections which are surrounded by a haze of
polyps trapping tiny planktonic prey from the mass of water moving past these
exposed locations. The polyps give the corals a swollen puffy appearance and it
is not difficult to see how they got their common name of dead man's fingers.
Many of the animals and plants found in the shallow zones are not present
in this near vertical world as it is difficult to find space or secure an
anchorage. However, other species are better adapted and thrive. Delicate,
feathery brittle stars entwine around the soft corals. The huge thirteen armed
common sunstar pushes it way purposefully through them. The eel-like butterfish
is able to curl from one to the next as it hunts for food. Edible crabs and
velvet fiddler crabs press in amongst the corals and in some places there are
huge groups of plumose anemones. Gliding along the cliff walls are many Pollack
- a member of the cod family whose sinister expression and jutting lower jaw
give it the appearance of some cold water version of the barracuda. The male
lumpsucker can be also found here. Up to about 30cms in length, this bulbous,
fleshy-lipped fish is one of the more colourful and bizarre inhabitants of the
North Sea. In the Spring, they move inshore to breed and the male adopts its
breeding colours - anything from pink with black dots to yellow with red fins
and lips. Once the female has secured her egg mass into a suitable crevice,
the male fertilises them. He then clamps himself to the rock next to the
eggs with a large sucker on his underside and stands guard duty for several
weeks, fending off marauding crabs and starfish until the eggs hatch.
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