Les Écréhous & Les Dirouilles, Jersey. 02/02/05; Bailiwick of Jersey; 5,459 ha; 49°18'N 001°58'W . The site consists of two reefs which form an extensive shoal area on the east of the Channel Island of Jersey. At high tide only a group of rocky heads and an islet, Le Maitre Isle, are uncovered -- at low tide various habitats are exposed, including reefs, boulder fields, sandy shores and shingle banks. The tidal range can exceed 12 meters. The area is fed clean well-oxygenated water, and this factor, together with the range of habitats and the site's biogeographical position, supports a wide range of rich and diverse biotopes and some unusual species assemblages. The flora and fauna is characterised by limit-of-range species at the northern and southern margins of their distributions. These areas are important nursery zones for shore and shallow sublittoral fish communities. A small population of grey seals Halichoerus grypus and one of the largest breeding populations of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in the British Isles are recorded in the area. Fishing within the site is of great cultural, social and traditional importance to the population of Jersey. Ramsar site no. 1455. Most recent RIS information: 2005.