North Sea - Ocean Biodiversity Information System

North Sea

Statistics

Occurrence records	12,342,519
Species level	10,606,850
Species	7,641
Taxa	11,939
Datasets	494
Time range	1753 - 2024

Data quality

Dropped records

Dropped records	0
Not marine	41,007
No WoRMS match	337,085
No coordinates	0
Zero coordinates	0

Taxonomic issues

Marine unsure	62,631
No accepted name available	240,701

Missing and invalid fields

Field	Missing	Invalid
coordinateUncertaintyInMeters	8,326,445	3,306,773
eventDate	64,800	0
maximumDepthInMeters	6,638,696	0
minimumDepthInMeters	9,239,893	0
occurrenceStatus	413,233	0
scientificName	131	0
scientificNameID	381,822	20,253

Spatial issues

Records on land	223,535
More than 20 km from shore	10,224
Depth exceeds bathymetric depth	5,842

Top datasets

Dataset	Records
ICES North Sea International Bottom Trawl Survey for commercial fish species Published 2023-03-09	2,421,208
European Seabirds At Sea (ESAS) Published 2025-03-20	1,704,913
Environmental Monitoring database (MOD) DNV Published 2023-08-09	985,644
The CPR Survey Published 2025-03-20	611,914
JNCC seabird distribution and abundance data (all trips) from ESAS database Published 2021-04-24	495,775
ICES contaminants and biological effects Published 2025-03-20	434,416
RSMP Baseline Dataset Published 2025-03-20	370,538
Dutch long term monitoring of phytoplankton in the Dutch Continental Economical Zone of the North Sea (2000-2018) Published 2025-03-20	336,009
ICES Beam Trawl Survey for commercial fish species Published 2023-03-09	291,458
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) - Kom Fyke Mokbaai Published 2025-03-20	273,002

Distribution

Disclaimer: EEZ boundaries based on Marine Regions (no endorsement).

Records

Composition

detailed (class) simple

Top taxa

Unique species IUCN Red List All taxa Unique species IUCN Red List All taxa Unique species IUCN Red List All taxa

Scientific name	Records
Limanda limanda (Linnaeus, 1758) Phylum Chordata > Class Teleostei	604,996
Merlangius merlangus (Linnaeus, 1758) Phylum Chordata > Class Teleostei	524,897
Haematopus ostralegus Linnaeus, 1758 NT Phylum Chordata > Class Aves	451,579
Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, 1763 Phylum Chordata > Class Aves	450,193
Uria aalge (Pontoppidan, 1763) Phylum Chordata > Class Aves	433,420
Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus, 1761) Phylum Chordata > Class Aves	412,845
Clupea harengus Linnaeus, 1758 Phylum Chordata > Class Teleostei	408,607
Larus fuscus Linnaeus, 1758 Phylum Chordata > Class Aves	335,585
Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758 VU Phylum Chordata > Class Teleostei	335,083
Melanogrammus aeglefinus (Linnaeus, 1758) VU Phylum Chordata > Class Teleostei	328,986

Newest species

Scientific name	Records	Since
Neodasys chaetonotoideus Remane, 1927 Phylum Gastrotricha	3	2023
Turbanella hyalina Schultze, 1853 Phylum Gastrotricha	11	2023
Melicertum octocostatum (M. Sars, 1835) Phylum Cnidaria > Class Hydrozoa	2	2023
Craspedacusta sowerbii Lankester, 1880 Phylum Cnidaria > Class Hydrozoa	2	2023
Acrochaetium humile (Rosenvinge) Børgesen, 1915 Phylum Rhodophyta > Class Florideophyceae	2	2023
Scomber colias Gmelin, 1789 Phylum Chordata > Class Teleostei	2	2023
Synedra dissipata Kützing, 1844 Phylum Heterokontophyta > Class Bacillariophyceae	6	2023
Achelia assimilis (Haswell, 1885) Phylum Arthropoda > Class Pycnogonida	7	2023
Haematopus unicolor Forster, 1844 Phylum Chordata > Class Aves	12	2023
Nannochloropsis granulata B.Karlson & D.Potter, 1996 Phylum Ochrophyta > Class Eustigmatophyceae	20	2023

Data providers

Name	Records
Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee	7,463,705
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea	5,299,612
Bureau Waardenburg bv – Ecology & Landscape	1,704,913
Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel; Research and Technology Centre	1,704,913
Vlaamse overheid; Beleidsdomein Omgeving; Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek	1,704,913
The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom	1,659,808
Vlaamse Overheid - Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek	1,058,076
DNV	985,644
GBIF Norway	985,644
Deltares	773,730