Estuaries

Quiet, unspoiled areas of the tree lined Daugleddau Estuary, and the Carew and Cresswell rivers, upstream of the deep ports of Milford and Pembroke Dock, offer a peaceful retreat for both people and wildlife. Regular visitors to these areas include nationally important numbers of wildfowl which pass through on their winter migration, stopping for a vital ‘refuelling’. Intertidal mudflats draining into the main waterway support rich and productive shellfish and worm communities.

Underwater bedrock, boulder slopes and shell/cobble areas in the upper reaches of the Daugleddau are home to huge colourful anemones, a spectacular array of sprawling current-swept sponges and carpets of sea squirts. Native oysters and migratory fish can also be found here.

Estuaries are coastal inlets where there is generally a large freshwater influence. The Pembrokeshire Marine SAC includes the Daugleddau estuary and also smaller estuaries entering the Milford Haven waterway such as the Pembroke River, Cosheston Pill, Carew and Cresswell Rivers, Garron Pill, Sprinkle Pill, and Millin Pill.