Species abundance data for marine epifauna enumerated from still frames extracted from towed under water video system footage sampled in Lyme Bay, SW England April 2014.

This dataset comprises species abundance data for marine epifauna from towed video surveys undertaken to test the resilience of marine epifaunal communities in marine protected areas in response to storm disturbance. The survey was undertaken in Lyme Bay Southwest England in April 2014. Detailed abundance and species composition of epifaunal communities in the dataset was enumerated using still frames extracted from the towed videos, 60 sites were surveyed using a towed underwater flying HD video camera along 200 metre transects. The video was cut into still frames (every five seconds) using automated frame extracting software (Cybertronix, UK). 30 randomly selected frames (sample replicates) are sub-sampled from each transect for detailed analysis. Densities are calculated using estimates of the analysed frame area. During January and February 2014, a series of storms swept the North Atlantic, generating some of the highest waves ever recorded in Western Europe with exceptionally long wave periods. The south-west coasts of the UK were heavily impacted by these storms, including Lyme Bay, an area which includes the first large MPA in the UK, designated in 2008. The survey was undertaken by Dr. Emma Sheehan, Dr. Luke Holmes, and Professor Martin Attrill of the University of Plymouth as part of the NERC Discovery Science grant NE/M005208/1 titled "Testing resilience in Marine Protected Areas using storm disturbance in Lyme Bay, SW England".