The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing the marine spatial plan for the period 2026 to 2034 in the Belgian marine areas defines 8 scientific research and recreation zones: Thorntonbank monitoring area (Art. 23§10.1°), Gootebank monitoring area (Art. 23§10.2°), Scientific research zone (Art. 23§3), Search area for scientific research reserve (Art. 23§6), Zone with prohibition of additional fixed structures (Art. 23§7.4°), Zone accessible for scientific research 1 (Art. 23§8.1°), Zone accessible for scientific research 2 (Art. 23§8.1°), Reference area for calibration and quality assessment of measuring instruments (Art. 23§9). It replaces the 2020 Marine Spatial Plan. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belgeBelgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

This dataset is part of the 2024 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 1, criterion 2. It originates from the ICES DATRAS (Database of Trawl Surveys), which compiles standardised bottom trawl survey data collected from various European waters; for this indicator, the Belgian Beam Trawl Survey (BTS) data from the North Sea were used. The dataset includes species abundance, length and age distributions, catch per unit effort, and environmental parameters, providing key insights on the population abundance of thornback ray (Raja clavata) and lesser-spotted dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula) for stock assessment and fisheries management.

This dataset is part of the 2024 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 7, criterion 1. This dataset describes the zones that are subject to noticeable permanent alteration of the hydrographic conditions due to human activities and man-made infrastructures for the time period 1992-2022. The data format is shapefiles and includes the zone area (m²) as attribute.

This dataset is part of the 2024 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 9, criterion 1. The dataset contains the results of analyses on raw fish, molluscs and crustacean samples originating from the southern North Sea and the Channel and taken as part of the control programme by the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain in the period 2016-2021. The analyzed substances are metals (cadmium, mercury and lead), dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, PCBs, PAHs, PFAS, Cesium 134 and Cesium 137.

This dataset is part of the 2024 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 8, criterion 4. This dataset reports the proportion of oiled Common Guillemots (Uria aalge) among stranded seabirds along the Belgian coast, as an indicator of acute oil pollution (environmental target: average proportion of oiled guillemots below 10% of the total found dead or dying on the beaches).

This dataset is part of the 2024 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 6, criterion 2. This dataset describes and maps the physical disturbance to the seabed in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) between 2010 and 2021. The dataset combines different layers of human activities leading to a disturbance of the seabed, including 'soft' beach and foreshore nourishments, dredging and dumping, sand extraction, fisheries, burial of cables, war ammunition stocking and construction of wind farms. The area disturbed is mapped and quantified per year and per activity, and plotted on the predominant broad-scale benthic habitat types of the EUSeaMap 2023. Infield cables from wind farms and Elia cables (NEMO and MOG) are not shown due to mutual agreements. This dataset is part of the 2024 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 6, criterion 1. This dataset describes and maps the physical loss of the seabed in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) between 2010 and 2021. The dataset combines different layers of human activities leading to a loss of the seabed, including 'hard' coastal defence structures, ports, measuring poles and radar station, protection of pipelines and cables, construction of wind farms, and wrecks and other obstacles. The area lost is mapped and quantified per year and per activity, and plotted on the predominant broad-scale benthic habitat types of the EUSeaMap 2023.

This dataset represents the exact location of electrical cables installed in the Belgian Part of the North Sea, including these for for the wind farms.

This dataset represents the exact location of disused telecommunication cables installed in the Belgian Part of the North Sea.

UNDER EMBARGO - This dataset contains seasonal physiological measurements from controlled laboratory experiments on two dominant suspension-feeding species expected to colonise floating offshore structures: the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis; AphiaID 140480) and the wrinkled barnacle (Balanus crenatus; AphiaID 106215). The measured parameters include clearance rates, respiration rates, faecal pellet production rates, and faecal pellet sinking velocities. Mussels were collected from an aquaculture longline at the Westdiep SeaFarm, while barnacles were manually retrieved from the intertidal beachhead at Raversijde (Oostende, Belgium). All experiments were conducted using natural seawater collected from offshore sites in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Measurements were repeated across multiple seasons to capture temporal variability in physiological performance. The dataset was produced within the SWiM and EcoMPV projects and is suitable for reuse in ecosystem and biogeochemical modelling, including simulations of phytoplankton dynamics associated with large-scale offshore marine photovoltaic (MPV) developments.

This dataset is part of the 2024 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 1, criterion 1. It reports the mortality rate of marine mammals, in particular harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), from incidental bycatch in the Belgian part of the North Sea, combining strandings investigations, reported incidental catches and aerial abundance surveys.