The Royal Decree of 22 May 2019 establishing a marine spatial plan defines 7 fishery management zones: Professional fisheries (Art. 13), Passive fisheries area (Noordhinder Noord) (Art. 14§4), Passive fisheries area (Noordhinder Zuid) (Art. 14§4), Passive fisheries (Fairybank) (Art. 14§4), Search area 1 for fisheries techniques (Art. 6§1), Search area 2 for fisheries techniques (Art. 6§1), Search area 3 for fisheries techniques (Art. 6§1). It replaces the 2014 Marine Spatial Plan, which is included for completeness. The Royal Decree of 20 March 2014 establishing a marine spatial plan defines in its Art. 6, six fisheries management areas: Regular regime, Art. 6 § 1; Fisheries management area 1, Art. 6 § 1.1°; Fisheries management area 2, Art. 6 § 1.2°; Fisheries management area 3, Art. 6 § 1.3°; Fisheries management area 4, Art. 6 § 1.4°; Fisheries management area 5, Art. 6 § 3. These zones are made available digitally in the resource described by this metadata document. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette (\"Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad\") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 22 May 2019 establishing a marine spatial plan defines 11 military use and storage sites for war munition zones: Exercise area for sweeping mines (Buiten Ratel) (Art. 17§1), Exercise area for sweeping mines - NB-01 (Westhinder) (Art. 17§1), Exercise area for sweeping mines - NBH-10 (Wenduine) (Art. 17§1), Exercise area for sweeping mines - QZR 040 (Art. 17§1), Munition destruction area (Art. 17§2), Area for shooting exercises on floating objects (Art. 17§3), Area for exercises in shallow waters (Art. 17§4), Area for shooting exercises from land - big sector (Art. 17§5), Area for shooting exercises from land - medium sector (Art. 17§5), Area for shooting exercises from land - small sector (Art. 17§5), Storage site for war munition Paardenmarkt (Art. 18§1). It replaces the 2014 Marine Spatial Plan, which is included for completeness. The Royal Decree of 20 March 2014 establishing a marine spatial plan defines in its Art. 13. and Art. 14., resp. nine zones for military use and one storage site for war munition: three zones for shooting exercises from land direction sea (Art 13. § 1 small sector, Art 13. § 1 medium sector, Art 13. § 1 large sector), four exercise areas for sweeping mines (Art 13. § 3, Exercise area 1 for sweeping mines, Art 13. § 5, Exercise area 2 for sweeping mines, Art 13. § 9, Exercise area 3 for sweeping mines, Art 13. § 13, Exercise area 4 for sweeping mines), one area for shooting exercises on floating objects (Art 13. § 7), one area for defusing mines (Art 13. § 11) and one zone to safeguard the closed storage site for war munition \"Paardenmarkt\" (Art. 14. § 1). These zones are made available digitally in the resource described by this metadata document. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette (\"Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad\") for official reference information.

The Royal Decree of 22 May 2019 establishing a marine spatial plan defines 20 shipping and ports zones: Shipping regular regime (Art. 10§1), Northbound traffic flow starting at separation line 'Noordhinder Sud' (Art. 10§2.1°), Separation zone 'Noordhinder Sud' (Art. 10§2.1°), Precaution zone 'Near Thornton and Blighbank ' (Art. 10§2.10°), Northbound traffic flow starting at separation zone 'Off Noordhinder' (Art. 10§2.2°), Separation zone 'Off Noordhinder' (Art. 10§2.2°), Southbound traffic flow starting at separation line 'Off Noordhinder' (Art. 10§2.2°), Precaution zone 'Noordhinder Jonction' (Art. 10§2.3°), Eastbound traffic flow starting at separation line 'At West Hinder' (Art. 10§2.4°), Eastbound traffic flow starting at separation zone 'At West Hinder' (Art. 10§2.4°), Precaution zone 'At West Hinder ' (Art. 10§2.4°), Separation zone 'At West Hinder' (Art. 10§2.4°), Westbound traffic flow starting at separation line 'At West Hinder' (Art. 10§2.4°), Area to be Avoided 'At West Hinder' (Art. 10§2.6°), Deep water route 'Westerschelde approach' (Art. 10§2.7°), Border line 1 of two-way shipping lane 'Westpit' (Art. 10§2.8°), Border line 2 of two-way shipping lane 'Westpit' (Art. 10§2.8°), Precaution zone 'At Gootebank' (Art. 10§2.9°), Anchoring zone 'Oostdyck' (Art. 10§3.1°), Anchoring zone 'Westhinder' (Art. 10§3.2°). It replaces the 2014 Marine Spatial Plan, which is included for completeness. The Royal Decree of 20 March 2014 establishing a marine spatial plan defines in its Art. 9, nine zones with regards to shipping and ports: seven shipping zones (Shipping regular regime, Art. 9 § 1; Shipping route Northhinder South, Art. 9 § 2.1°; Shipping route Northhinder junction, Art. 9 § 2.2°; Shipping route Westhinder, Art. 9 § 2.3°; Shipping route Westhinder precautionary area, Art. 9 § 2.4°; Shipping route Westhinder area to be avoided, Art. 9 § 2.5°; Deep water shipping route Western Scheldt approach, Art. 9 § 2.6°) and two anchorage places (Anchorage place 'Oostdyck', Art. 9 § 4.1° and Anchorage place 'Westhinder', Art. 9 § 4.2°). These zones are made available digitally in the resource described by this metadata document. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette (\"Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad\") for official reference information.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 6, criterion 5. It comprises three datasets used to assess the sea floor integrity for ensuring a proper functioning of the ecosystem.The dataset on the study of the fauna associated with cobble fields (hard substrates) describes the gravel analysis performed in the Belgian part of the North Sea between 2015 and 2017. Information on the location, date and procedure used for the sediment sampling is provided as well as the description of species found in the samples.The occurrence of important benthic species. The status of benthic habitats (soft substrates).

The Royal Decree of 22 May 2019 establishing a marine spatial plan defines 6 measuring poles: Measuring pole MOW.0 (Art. 21§2), Measuring pole MOW.1 (Art. 21§2), Measuring pole MOW.2 (Art. 21§2), Measuring pole MOW.3 (Art. 21§2), Measuring pole MOW.4 (Art. 21§2), Measuring pole Westhinder (Art. 21§2). It replaces the 2014 Marine Spatial Plan, which is included for completeness. The Royal Decree of 20 March 2014 establishing a marine spatial plan defines in its Art. 15. §3, one set of measuring pole locations. These locations are made available digitally in the resource described by this metadata document. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette (\"Moniteur belge/Belgisch Staatsblad\") for official reference information.

This dataset represents the location of the windfarms concessions in the Belgian Part of the North Sea.

This dataset represents the exact location of active telecommunication cables (verified in 2010) installed in the Belgian Part of the North Sea.

The dataset contains the borders of the Belgian marine waters in the North Sea and the different geographical areas (‘reporting units’) used when reporting in the frame of the the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC (MSFD) and the Water Framework directive 2000/60/EC (WFD). The ecological status in the frame of WFD is reported for the coastal waters, defined as the one-nautical mile area, while the chemical status needs to be reported for the territorial waters (up to 12 nautical miles). MSFD requires information for the whole area, encompassing the territorial waters and the Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone. For some descriptors, results have been reported separately for the WFD subdivisions during the update of the initial assessment in 2018.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 1. This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 1. This dataset contains the concentrations of priority substances (tributyltin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs)) measured in the water column at three stations in the Belgian part of the North Sea between 2009 and 2014 (as reported in the frame of the WFD in 2016). In total, 45 different parameters are measured.

This dataset represents the exact location of gas pipelines installed in the Belgian Part of the North Sea.