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.

The Royal Decree of 20 March 2026 establishing the marine spatial plan for the period 2026 to 2034 in the Belgian marine areas defines 2 potential seaport expansion zones: Potential expansion of the Port of Ostend (Art. 16§2), Potential expansion of the Port of Zeebrugge (Art. 16§3). It replaces the 2020 Marine Spatial Plan. Please refer to the Belgian official gazette ("Moniteur belgeBelgisch Staatsblad") for official reference information.

This dataset represents the exact location of gas pipelines installed 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.

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 1, criterion 3. This dataset reports the breeding success (population demographic characteristics) of benthic-feeding, pelagic-feeding, surface-feeding and wading birds breeding along the Belgian coast.

The law of 13 June 1969 defines “Belgian Continental Shelf” as follows: the seabed and the subsoil of the marine areas adjacent to the Belgian coast but beyond the Belgian territorial sea.

This dataset is part of the 2024 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 2, criterion 1. This dataset lists the newly-introduced species encountered in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) between 2016 and 2021, combining dedicated non-indigenous species (NIS) surveys of artificial hard substrates with incidental NIS records collected during the soft-sediment and epibenthos monitoring programmes.

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 3, criteria 1, 2 and 3. It provides the fishing mortality rate, spawning stock biomass and population age/size distribution of commercially-exploited fish and shellfish in the Belgian part of the North Sea, combining fishery-independent survey data (Beam Trawl Survey and Demersal Young Fish Survey) with fishery-dependent observer-at-sea data collected under the Common Fisheries Policy Data Collection Framework. ICES provides the resulting scientific advice to the governments and international regulatory bodies that manage the North Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas.