This database contains hauls collated from 1965 to 2019, from fisheries dependent and independent data, from across eastern Atlantic waters and French Mediterranean waters. From this data diadromous fish spatio-temporal data was cleaned and standardised.

This folder contains two examples of PAGURE datasets, corresponding to three surveys: -CGFS conducted in 2018 in the English Channel (Northeast Atlantic) -EPIBENGOL conducted in 2019 in the Gulf of Lion (Western Mediterranean) -EVHOE conducted in 2020 in the Bay of Biscay and Celtic Shelf (Northeast Atlantic) Files include metadata for the sampling stations, annotation files. A readme tex file contains the links to the voyage metadata This folder is aimed at providing an example of documented underwater imagery dataset. These data are part of the data exchange conducted in the QuatreA collaboration between the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and the University of Tasmania (UTAS).

We genotyped 1680 thornback ray Raja clavata sampled in the Bay of Biscay using a DNA chip described in Le Cam et al. (2019). After quality control 4604 SNPs were retained for identifying potential sex-linked SNPs using three methods: i) identification of excess of heterozygotes in one sex, ii) FST outlier analysis between the two sexes and iii) neuronal net modelling. Genotype coding: 0 homozygous for major allele, 1 heterozygous, 2 homozygous for minor allele. Flanking DNA sequences of SNPs identified with methods i) and ii) are also provided.  

The dataset includes age- and length-based catch per unit effort data for commercial fish species collected by the French trawl survey EVHOE.

For the 21 years of the study, an examination of trends in chlorophyll concentration revealed a general decline throughout the Gulf over the production period. These trends, extracted from dynamic linear model, also allowed this decline to be quantified. Expressed as a percentage, a large part of the area below the 50 m bathymetric line showed a decrease of at least 10% over the period, corresponding to a value of at least 0.1 µg.l-1. However, the spatial distribution reveals some more local phenomena. In southern Brittany, from Quimper to Vannes, a particular feature appears, with an upward trend over several kilometres along the coast, followed by a pronounced gradient along the coast. This gradient includes a zone where a continuous monotonic increasing trend is observed, then a zone where the trend becomes not significant and finally, about 15 km from the coast, a new zone where a significant continuous monotonic decreasing trend is observed. The increase in chlorophyll a concentration in the very coastal part is greater than 0.1 µg.l-1 over the period. Another peculiarity concerns the central part, located at the edge of the plateau at Cap Ferrat and Pente Aquitaine, where an increase in chlorophyll a was observed, but the variations remained small, being less than 0.1 µg.l-1. About a hundred kilometres south-west of Saint Nazaire, an area of about 40 by 50 km shows a decrease in chlorophyll a of more than 20%, quantified as more than 0.1 µg.l-1 over the period.

The Arcachon bay is a meso- / macro-tidal (0.8 to 4.6 m), semi-enclosed lagoon of 180 km² located on the South-western coast of France. Three main water masses are described in this bay: (i) the external neritic waters (ENW) directly influenced by the adjacent oceanic waters, (ii) the intermediate neritic waters (ItNW) and (iii) the inner neritic waters (InNW) more influenced by the continental inputs. The watershed of the Arcachon bay, mainly covered by forests, has an area of 3500 km² and the bay is considered as poorly anthropised. It hosts the largest Zostera noltei seagrass meadow in western Europe and is an important site for oyster farming and Manilla clam production. Since 1997, Arcachon Bay waters are monitored for hydrological and bio-geochemical parameters by the “Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux” (EPOC) Research Unit of the University of Bordeaux-CNRS, first in one single station (Eyrac), then on 2 complementary sites since 2005 (Bouee13 and Comprian). The monitoring is carried out within the national framework of the “SOMLIT” (“Service d’Observation en Milieu Littoral”) which is a French multi-site monitoring network initiated in the mid-1990s. SOMLIT is based on a joint strategy for 19 sites belonging to 12 ecosystems that are distributed over the three maritime facades of mainland France, i.e. the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Sampling of surface water samples is performed fortnightly at high tide for a group of 15 parameters (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, phosphate, silicate, suspended matter, chlorophyll a, concentrations and isotopic ratios of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen) and 8 flow cytometry biological variables of pico- and nanoplankton. Vertical profiles of multiparametric probes concerning 4 parameters (temperature, salinity, fluorescence, PAR) are also performed. Given the significant diversity of coastal ecosystems where SOMLIT’s stations are located, strict and joint guidelines with regards to sampling strategy, measurement methods and data qualification and storage are paramount in order to make FAIR data available to users. The whole data acquisition strategy is carried out within the framework of the SOMLIT quality system formalized in 2006-2007 by referring to the ISO 17025: 2017 standard “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories”. Unified sampling and analysis protocols are based on recognized disciplinary standards and on the expertise of the research teams. The scientific objectives of SOMLIT are 1) to characterize the multi-decadal evolution of coastal ecosystems; 2) to determine the climatic and anthropogenic forcings and 3) to make data and logistical support available for research activities and other observation activities. SOMLIT is therefore a research tool providing large datasets that also serve as logistical support for related research actions (from seasonal to long-term studies). Two additional national networks operate at the same SOMLIT sites: “COAST-HF” network performs high-frequency measurements (automated in situ measurements every 10 to 20 minutes) and “PHYTOBS-network” provides microphytoplankton biodiversity data. SOMLIT, COAST-HF and PHYTOBS are elementary networks of the Research Infrastructure “Infrastructure Littorale et Côtière” (ILICO) and are National Observation Services (SNO) of the Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers (INSU).

The ORHAGO campaigns (Observation of the benthic aquatic resources of the Golfe de Gascogne) are designed to collect data on the composition, distribution and change in relative abundance of benthic fish fauna on the continental shelf (depth <100m) in November to December on a yearly basis. The ORHAGO survey was initiated in 2007 with the objective of developing a fishery-independent abundance index for flatfish species, with a particular focus on the common sole (Solea solea) of the Bay of Biscay. In accordance with the ICES-agreed gear for flatfish abundance surveys, ORHAGO employs a 4-meter-beam trawl with a chain mat, 50-millimeter mesh in the net, and 40-millimeter mesh in the cod-end. The sampling plan was designed to ensure full coverage of the common sole habitat in the Bay of Biscay during a period (November-December) for which fish behavior and distribution was suitable for obtaining an unbiased abundance index (young fish move offshore when coastal waters become colder and before the concentrations of the spawning season). The sampling design is a systematic sampling with 49 reference stations. The sampling design was validated in 2013 by the ICES Working Group on Beam Trawl Surveys (WGBEAM). Since 2013, the ORHAGO survey has been used to assess the status of the Bay of Biscay common sole stock (WGBIE, Working Group for the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Waters Ecoregion).

Three saltmarshes, Aiguillon, Brouage, Fier d'Ars, located in the Pertuis-Charentais Sea along the south-west coast of France, were studied to evaluate their sediment and mass accumulation rates (SAR; MAR) based on 210Pb and 137Cs profiles in sediments. Coastal saltmarshes play indeed an essential role in providing services such as coastal protection and supporting biodiversity. Saltmarshes are also critical environments for the accumulation of sedimentary organic carbon (blue carbon). However, the number of studies on saltmarshes remains underrepresented compared to studies on mangroves and seagrass. This work is a contribution to the effort to document sediment and mass accumulation rates of saltmarshes.A total of 16 1m sediment cores were collected in the three saltmarshes (Aiguillon, Brouage, Fier d'Ars) in 2021 and 2022 using an Eijkelkamp stainless steel peat sampler. Each sediment core was sampled 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 (210Pb, 226Ra, 137Cs, 228Th, 137Cs). Combining excess 210Pb and 137Cs has allowed to establish a reliable chronology of sediment deposition on a multidecadal timescale.

The willingness to pay (WTP) of people to protect animal populations can be used as a tool for these populations’ conservation. The WTP reflects the non-use value of animals, which can be significant for charismatic species. This value can be used as an economic criterion for decision-makers in order to recommend protective measures. The definition of the WTP to protect a species is challenging, as valuation methods are time-consuming and expensive. To overcome these limitations, we built a benefit transfer function based on 112 valuation studies and apply it to 440 Mediterranean marine species. We extracted these species from the IUCN database and retrieved some required parameters from, amongst others, the FishBase database. Marine mammals appear to have the highest WTP value followed in order by sea turtles, sharks and rays, and ray-finned fishes. Commercial fish species appear to have the highest values amongst the fish class.