Collection Activity in the Menai Strait and Pilot Methods to Assess Frequency of Boulder Turning Activity (2011) dataset https://portal.medin.org.uk/portal/start.php?tpc=007_NRW_DS114836 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are strictly protected sites designated under the EC Habitats Directive. Reporting on the condition of the intertidal features of the Menai Strait and Conwy Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC) depends upon an understanding of the features and the threats of damage by regulated and unregulated activities.The former Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), now part of Natural Resources Wales (NRW), run an intertidal SAC monitoring program, which is undertaken to evaluate the quality of the biological communities associated with under-boulder and muddy gravel habitats. The biological data must be placed in context with the levels of collecting activity on the shore, specifically bait and winkle collecting. CCW contracted Marine EcoSol to better assess the intensity of collecting activity in the Menai Strait and Conwy Bay SAC, in order to establish the levels that might be considered acceptable, in terms of their impact on the intertidal (Reef) features. Both muddy gravel and underboulder communities are Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) habitats, and the 2011 field surveys are within or adjacent to intertidal Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and marine SAC. The project was to investigate the feasibility of developing rapid visual assessment methods for use by non-specialists and to provide contextual information for status reporting of reef features within the Menai Strait and Colwyn Bay SAC. 20120331