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

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.

210Pb, 226Ra and 137Cs were measured by non-destructive gamma spectrometry on marine sediment cores, collected during RIKEAU 2002 cruise on board r/v Thalia, on the shelf of the Bay of Biscay

In October 2019 we chose 15 sites from the 2019 EVHOE survey for environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling. The French international EVHOE bottom trawl survey is carried out annually during autumn in the BoB to monitor demersal fish resources. At each site, we sampled seawater using Niskin bottles deployed with a circular rosette. There were nine bottles on the rosette, each of them able to hold ∼5 l of water. At each site, we first cleaned the circular rosette and bottles with freshwater, then lowered the rosette (with bottles open) to 5 m above the sea bottom, and finally closed the bottles remotely from the boat. The 45 l of sampled water was transferred to four disposable and sterilized plastic bags of 11.25 l each to perform the filtration on-board in a laboratory dedicated to the processing of eDNA samples. To speed up the filtration process, we used two identical filtration devices, each composed of an Athena® peristaltic pump (Proactive Environmental Products LLC, Bradenton, Florida, USA; nominal flow of 1.0 l min–1 ), a VigiDNA 0.20 μm filtration capsule (SPYGEN, le Bourget du Lac, France), and disposable sterile tubing. Each filtration device filtered the water contained in two plastic bags (22.5 l), which represent two replicates per sampling site. We followed a rigorous protocol to avoid contamination during fieldwork, using disposable gloves and single-use filtration equipment and plastic bags to process each water sample. At the end of each filtration, we emptied the water inside the capsule that we replaced by 80 ml of CL1 conservation buffer and stored the samples at room temperature following the specifications of the manufacturer (SPYGEN, Le Bourget du Lac, France). We processed the eDNA capsules at SPYGEN, following the protocol proposed by Polanco-Fernández et al., (2020). Half of the extracted DNA was processed by Sinsoma using newly developped ddPCR assays for European seabass (Dicentrachus labrax), European hake (Merluccius merluccius) and blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo).  The other half of the extracted DNA was analysed using metabarcoding with teleo primer. The raw metabarcoding data set is available at https://www.doi.org/10.16904/envidat.442 Bottom trawling using a GOV trawl was carried out before or after water sampling. The catch was sorted by species and catches in numbers and weight were recorded. No blackspot seabream individuals were caught.   Data content: * ddPCR/: contains the ddPCR counts and DNA concentrations for each sample and species. * SampleInfo/: contains the filter volume for each eDNA sample. * StationInfo/: contains metadata related to the data collected in the field for each filter. * Metabarcoding/: contains metabarcoding results for teleoprimer. * Trawldata/: contains catch data in numbers and weight (kg).      

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.  

As part of the marine water quality monitoring of the “Pertuis” and the “baie de l’Aiguillon” (France), commissioned by the OFB and carried out by setec énergie environnement, three monitoring stations were installed. Two of them were set up at the mouths of the Charente and Seudre rivers on February 6 and 27, 2019, respectively, while a third was deployed in the Bay of Aiguillon on March 24, 2021. The dataset presented here concerns the station installed in the Charente estuary. Measurements are organized into .csv files, with one file per year. Data is collected using a SAMBAT multiparameter probe, which records the following parameters: - Temperature (-5 to 35 °C) - Conductivity (0 to 10 mS/cm) - Pressure (0 to 10 m) - Turbidity (0 to 300 NTU) - Dissolved Oxygen (0 to 20 mg/L & 0 to 200 %) - Fluorescence (0 to 50 µg/l) - PH (0/14)

Understanding the spatial and temporal preferences of toxic phytoplankton species is of paramount importance in managing and predicting harmful events in aquatic ecosystems. In this study we address the realised niche of the species Alexandrium minutum, Pseudo-nitzschia fraudulenta and P. australis. We used them to highlight distribution patterns at different scales and determine possible drivers. To achieve this, we have developed original procedures coupling niche theory and habitat suitability modelling using abundance data in four consecutive steps: 1) Estimate the realised niche applying kernel functions. 2) Assess differences between the species’ niche as a whole and at the local level. 3) Develop habitat and temporal suitability models using niche overlap procedures. 4) Explore species temporal and spatial distributions to highlight possible drivers. Data used are species abundance and environmental variables collected over 27 years (1988-2014) and include 139 coastal water sampling sites along the French Atlantic coast. Results show that A. minutum and P. australis niches are very different, although both species have preference for warmer months. They both respond to decadal summer NAO but in the opposite way. P. fraudulenta realised niche lies in between the two other species niches. It also prefers warmer months but does not respond to decadal summer NAO. The Brittany peninsula is now classified as an area of prevalence for the three species. The methodology used here will allow to anticipate species distribution in the event of future environmental challenges resulting from climate change scenarios.

The SAPERCHAIS program (Suivi des Apports marins et terrigènes dans la mer des PERtuis CHarentAIS) was developed to monitor environmental fluctuations in the Pertuis Charentais Sea by an hydrological watchfulness. Seven stations, representatives of terrigenous or marine inputs, have been followed from 2011 to 2014. From north to south, the main four rivers of the Pertuis, Le Lay, La Sèvre, Charente and Seudre, and the three maritime inputs of each strait, Breton, Antioche and Maumusson. At each station, temperature and salinity were recorded in situ, just below the surface, with a high frequency resolution (10 minutes) . This work was supported by grants from Région Poitou-Charentes and European Regional Development Fund to the Ifremer "Developpement Durable de la Pêche et de la Conchyliculture" project.

The BenthOBS dataset includes long-term time series on marine benthic macrofauna, since 1967, along the whole French metropolitan coast. It includes 20 sampling location. BenthOBS aims to establish a national network for the observation of macrozoobenthos. In a context of global change, It is essential to have time series capable of highlighting and understanding ongoing changes in the specific diversity within communities and their consequences on the functioning of marine ecosystems. The BenthOBS network provides the scientific community and stackers with validated data on the following parameters: specific abundance, sediment size composition, sediment organic matter, sediment C content, sediment N content.

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, 2018a). This dataset comprises the biomass (in metric tons) and abundance (in thousands of individuals) of small pelagic fish estimated during the PELGAS survey in the Bay of Biscay in springtime. The dataset also includes the estimation coefficient of variation, derived based on the hydroacoustic methodology described in Doray et al. (2010), and the survey area. Those estimates have been validated by the ICES WGACEGG group and provided to the ICES WGHANSA group for stock assessment purposes. Data have been used in Doray et al., 2018b.