EVHOE (« Evaluation Halieutique de l’Ouest Européen ») surveys provide observational data on bentho-demersal communities on the continental shelves of the Bay of Biscay and the Celtic Sea for more than 30 years. The surveys operate a standardized bottom trawling gear and are conducted from 15 to 600 m depth, usually in the fourth quarter of the year, starting at the end of October. The main objectives are the monitoring of 22 commercial stocks of fish species and 10 cephalopods from the North-East Atlantic. The dataset also provide a description of regional diversity, including 250 taxa of fish, 45 taxa of cephalopods and others “commercial” invertebrates and, from 2008, more than 350 other taxa of benthic invertebrates. The acquisition of this dataset, organised by IFREMER, is steered by the IBTS working group organised within the framework of ICES. It is being funded by the European DCMAP programme, in coordination with the French Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA). This dataset is of great interest for the long-term monitoring of the continental shelves of the Bay of Biscay and the Celtic Sea. Moreover, on a larger scale, by being integrated into a European network of bottom trawl surveys, these data play an essential role in studying the evolution of ecosystems from continental shelves to the scale of the eastern North Atlantic. From April 2025, the proposed data have been updated in the latest standard format recognised by IFREMER (‘ELFIC’ format). The 5 data tables are compiled in a .zip file which also contains a document detailing the content of each table and their respective data fields.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) provide biodiversity conservation benefits in a range of marine habitats. Many protected areas are established and governed through top-down or shared governance arrangements, yet little is known about how these governance strategies compare in terms of the protection benefits they provide to MPAs globally. Using an extensive data set of MPA conditions, we developed a set of Bayesian hierarchical models to understand the role of shared governance versus federal governance on reef fish biomass from 218 global MPAs. We find greater reef fish biomass benefits in MPAs with shared governance than with top-down, or federal arrangements. We also find greater benefits in older MPAs and MPAs farther away from shore. Our results highlight the fundamental importance of multi-stakeholder participation for improving conservation outcomes, representing an important conservation opportunity for new or existing MPAs. 

The West Gironde Mud Patch (WGMP) is a mud deposit located 25 km from the mouth of the Gironde Estuary in the Bay of Biscay. This 4-metre-thick clay-silt feature, which extends over an area of 420 km2, is found at depths between 30 and 80 meters. The main objectives of the JERICObent7 cruise, in July 2019, were to characterise the evolution of the WGMP’s benthic ecosystem in terms of its sedimentary, biogeochemical and ecological properties and to reconstruct climate variations and identify potential anthropogenic impacts over the last few centuries. To this end, a precise chronological framework was established for the sedimentary archives of the last few decades using 210Pbxs (T1/2 = 22.3 years). Interface cores were collected at stations 1, 3 and 4 along a cross-shelf transect. Twin Kullenberg cores were collected at sites 3 and 4 for geochemical (KGL) and palaeoceanographic (JB7-ST) investigations. Each interface core was carefully extruded at 0.5 cm intervals from the top of the core to 4 cm, and then at 1 cm intervals until the bottom was reached. Kullenberg cores were only collected at sites 3 and 4. Depending on their intended use, the Kullenberg cores were sampled at different resolutions, the depth of each sediment layer corresponded to the depth from the top of the core. These layers were then used to determine the dry bulk density and radioisotope activities of interest (210Pb, 226Ra,  228Th, 137Cs, 40K). Excess 210Pb was used to establish the realignment and chronological framework of the interface and Kullenberg cores.

This dataset gathers isotopic ratios (carbon and nitrogen) and concentrations of both priority (mercury species and polychlorinated biphenyls congeners) and emerging (musks and sunscreens) micropollutants measured in a host-parasite couple (hake Merluccius merluccius muscle and in its parasite Anisakis sp) from the south of Bay of Biscay in 2018. In addition, the hake infection degree measured as the number of Anisakis sp. larvae was added for each hake collected.

This is the FAO Fishery and Aquaculture Reference Data repository: Codes and reference data for fishing gear, species, currencies, commodities, countries and others.

SUCHIMED 2021 is the 10th campaign for monitoring chemical contamination and its evolution in the Mediterranean Sea. It has been designed as a platform supporting various surveillance and research activities, with the main pillar being the RINBIO network, which involves active biosurveillance through mussel caging. Regarding chemical contamination, the main results of this campaign are as follows: In Occitania region: - Chronic presence of DDT for 20 years. - Detection of terrigenous markers (Mn, As) between the mouths of the Aude and Hérault rivers, along with contamination of sediments near Port-La-Nouvelle by HAP and TCE (Pt). In PACA region: - PCB markers detected between the Rhône River and Marseille (in all matrices), originating from multiple sources with no significant changes over the past 20 years. - HAP contamination in sediments of the industrial-port zone in Fos. - Presence of TBT at the Carry-le-Rouet station above ecologically acceptable concentrations (EAC), to be confirmed in the next campaign. - Detection of metallic elements and HAP in sediments near the Marseille urban area, partly in plankton, along with TCE near the Cortiou wastewater treatment plant outfall. - Chronic marking of PCB, HAP, metals (Hg, Pb, Cu, TCE), PBDE, and/or organotin compounds (TBT) in Toulon Bay, showing no significant temporal trend over two decades for the first five compounds. - Detection of Cr, Mn, and Ni in the water column and HAP in sediments near the Var River mouth, with differences in contamination between matrices raising questions about organic matter origin. - Metal (including Pb) and HAP marking in the water column and sediment in Villefranche Bay. Around Corsica: - Strong influence of the island's geological background (i.e., high Cr and Ni content) on obtained concentrations. - Chronic marking of Cu in the water column in the ports of Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio, stable over time, with HAP, metals (Hg, Pb, Zn), and to a lesser extent, PCB detection in Bonifacio sediment. - Marking of HAP and TCE in the sediment of the Bastia coastline. - Detection of Pb and TCE at the Golo River mouth. - Contamination of the Canari site with metals (Cr and Ni in the water column, Cu in sediment), and notably, confirmed ecotoxicity likely linked to these elements. The 2021 campaign highlighted the feasibility of researching effects on caged mussels using biomarkers. Lysosomal markers, less sensitive to trophic differences, proved to best reflect the general stress state of organisms related to their contamination. The study of trophic transfers appears to confirm the decrease in most metallic elements (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb) and HAP, bioamplification of Hg and PCB, and specific bioaccumulation of certain elements by organisms (e.g., As or Zn by mussels, HAP by plankton). Finally, the campaign revealed the presence of micro and mesoplastics at almost all sampled sites. The measured microplastic values align with concentrations observed in the western Mediterranean, with a trend towards reduction based on available 10-year data.

The Pélagiques Gascogne (PELGAS, Doray et al., 2000) integrated survey aims at assessing the biomass of small pelagic fish and monitoring and studying the dynamics and diversity of the Bay of Biscay pelagic ecosystem in springtime. PELGAS has been conducted within the EU Common Fisheries Policy Data Collection Framework and Ifremer’s Fisheries Information System. Details on survey protocols and data processing methodologies can be found in Doray et al., (2014, 2018). This dataset comprises the abundance (no. of individuals), biomass (metric tons), mean length (cm), mean weight (g) of marine organisms collected by midwater trawling to identify fish echoes detected during PELGAS surveys (2000-2018). All parameters have been raised to the trawl haul level. Trawl haul metadata and species reference list are also provided.

The Arcachon Bay is a unique and ecologically important meso-tidal lagoon on the Atlantic coast of south-west France. The Arcachon Bay has the largest area of dwarf seagrass (Z. noltei) in Europe, the extent of which was stable in their extent between the 1950s and 1990s, but a decline in seagrass was observed in mid-2000. The decline of Zostera (seagrass) may have a significant impact on sedimentation in this coastal ecosystem rich in marine life. Interface cores were collected in September 2022 to determine sediment and mass accumulation rates (SAR, MAR) in the Arcachon Bay. Ten study areas were selected, distributed over most of the areas where seagrass meadows are actually observed. Two sites were visited each time, one with the presence of Zostera noltei in good condition (Healthy) and the other where the sediment was bare (Bare). Maximum water heights during spring tides range from 3.44 m for the deepest site (Garrèche) to 2.09 m for the shallowest site (Fontaines). A total of 20 sediment cores were sampled and carefully extruded every 1 cm from the top to the bottom of the core. The sediment layers were used to determine dry bulk density and selected radioisotope activities: DBD, 210Pb, 226Ra, 137Cs, 228Th and 40K expressed as %K). 

Mesoscale dynamics in the Mediterranean Sea have been investigated for years and anticyclonic eddies are regularly observed features in the Algerian Basin. In early spring 2016, a field experiment during the ProtevsMed 2016 cruise thoroughly investigated this specific eddy, when it was located near the North Balearic Front, taking high-resolution (Seasoar) hydrological transects, several CTD casts and LADCP measurements. In addition, four drifting buoys were released in the eddy core. These in situ measurements revealed that the vertical structure of this anticyclone was made of two water lenses of very different origins (Atlantic Water above and Western Intermediate Water below) spinning together. In the vicinity of the North Balearic Front, which may act as a dynamical barrier for structures, the eddy interacted with a subsurface anticyclonic eddy made of modal water, which fostered cross-front exchanges generating filaments by stirring. The high-resolution sampling revealed fine scales structures both adjacent to the eddy and within its core. The eddy has been targeted from 21 March to 1 April 2016 taking advantage of a meteorological window. It has been sampled with:  - a towed undulating vehicle, the SeaSoar designed and built by Chelsea Instruments; it gets mounted on its sides two Sea-bird SBE-9 (SBE 3 temperature and SBE 4 conductivity sensors)  and a Wetlabs Fluorometer of type ChloroA WetStar  - CTD casts performed with a Sea-bird SBE-9 (SBE 3 temperature and SBE 4 conductivity sensor) and an RDI 150 kHz current profiler mounted in a general oceanics 12-place rosette, with12l Niskin bottles  - drifters with holey-sock positioned at 50 m deep below the expected Ekman layer thickness (remaining in the eddy until mid May).