Species abundance data for marine epifauna enumerated 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. During the survey, 60 sites were surveyed using a towed underwater flying HD video camera along 200 metre transects. The entire transect was viewed at normal speed to enumerate benthic taxa present between the two laser dots. Densities were calculated using estimates of the video transect 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".