The map features European shellfish farms. Shellfish, especially mussels, oysters and clams, make up more than 50% of the EU’s total aquaculture production. Aquaculture worlwide is quickly expanding, contributing to global food supply and economic growth. In the EU, it’s vital to develop skills and careers in this field among the younger generation.

Each year, millions of tonnes of litter are produced from various human activities, with much of it ending up in the ocean, causing environmental, economic, and public health issues. The map of the month displays the percentage of seabed litter in categories such as glass, textile, metal, and polymer. Click on the map's graphs for more details.

This month's map shows Fisheries Local Action Groups (LAGs) across Europe, backed by the European Maritime, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). EMFAF focuses on community-led local development by supporting local partnerships involving fisheries representatives and stakeholders in the blue economy. Over 300 LAGs in Europe receive EMFAF support.

Healthy rivers are important for salmon. Salmon begin their lives in rivers before going to sea to grow and mature, then returning to their native river to spawn. They are affected by changes in water quality, habitat, climate, and barriers during migration. Protecting and restoring habitats is essential for salmon. Explore the map of the month to view the main European rivers and lakes.

Climate change is rapidly affecting marine ecosystems. Fisheries are suffering the impact of rapid warming, marine heat waves and extreme events. Changes in water temperature are having an impact on fish distribution. Explore the map of the month to see how sea surface temperature has evolved since the early 1990s.

On average, Europeans consume 24 kg (live weight) of fish or seafood per year. The supply of these products to the European Union (EU) market is ensured by the EU’s own production and by imports. The map shows the total volume (intra-EU and extra-EU) of imports and exports of fisheries and aquaculture products by country.

The EU Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Week marked a decade of EU support to cross-border cooperation on maritime spatial planning. The European Maritime Spatial Planning Week brought the MSP community together in Marseille (France) to reflect on the achievements made across European seas, discuss current policies, and plan for the next steps to tackle new challenges for maritime spatial planning in the EU.

This map shows the average depth of the water in the European region. The data are provided by the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). EMODnet supplies data for the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO), including information on the marine environment and human activities.

Marine heatwaves, which are prolonged periods of extreme ocean temperature increases, have been occurring more frequently and with greater intensity in recent years. These heatwaves have harmful effects on ecosystems, marine industries, and human activities. Scientists use drifting buoys as one method to monitor ocean temperatures. These buoys move freely in the ocean and collect temperature data automatically, which is then relayed by satellite for immediate use in forecasts. The map displays temperature measurements from drifting buoys worldwide for the previous month.

Jellyfish numbers are increasing worldwide for several reasons. These include overfishing of their predators, declining populations of other fish that compete with jellyfish for food, warmer ocean temperatures that help jellyfish thrive, and pollution from fertilizers that boost plankton growth, a key part of jellyfish diets. Check out the map to see how sea surface temperatures have changed globally over 25 years (data provided by the Copernicus Marine Service).

Explore the Map of the Month to learn about maritime traffic in the European seas for fishing ships in 2021. The map shows vessel density in each square kilometre, calculated from a dataset of Automatic Identification System (AIS) messages. Understanding vessel traffic is important for marine planning and assessing human impact on ecosystems. Use the Zoom tool (+ and – signs) to see details at different scales.

Check out the Map of the month to see where macroalgae-producing facilities are located in Europe. This map is based on data from the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) and shows facilities by production methods.

Discover the total annual catches of fishery products by country. The data provided by Eurostat shows the weight of the catches as they are taken from the water, excluding any products that are not landed. Explore how annual catches have changed over the years (2000-2019) by clicking on a country.

There are many different types of seabed habitats in Europe's seas, from coral reefs in the North-east Atlantic Ocean to seagrass meadows in coastal waters. Protecting the seabed is important for preserving marine biodiversity. The map of the month shows the classified biological zones used in the EUSeaMap model, which helps determine habitat types. Biological zones are determined based on physical variables and proxies.

Check out our Map of the Month to learn more about Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) which manage highly migratory fish stocks by geographical area as well as the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP).

Europe's marine regions offer vast renewable energy resources, which can be harvested through a number of different technologies. Most notable are offshore wind farms. Energy can also be harvested from the waves, tides and salinity and temperature differences (gradients) throughout the seawater. Learn about wind farms, ocean energy projects and test sites in European waters.