EMODnet Human Activities aims to facilitate access to existing marine data on activities carried out in EU waters, by building a single entry point for geographic information on human uses of the ocean.

The datasets on fishing intensity in the EU waters by sea basin are created every year by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). In the 2020 Cogea started to collect and harmonize them according to the EMOdnet Human Activities dataset schema. The EMODnet dataset is updated yearly and as soon as new data from ICES are released, and is available for viewing and download on the EMODnet web portal (Human Activities, https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/human-activities). Where and when available, the fisheries overview data concern: i) the spatial distribution of average annual fishing effort (mW fishing hours) by ecoregion (Azores, Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast, Baltic Sea, Barents Sea, Celtic Seas, Faroes, Greater North Sea, Icelandic Waters, Norwegian Sea and Oceanic Northeast Atlantic) and by gear type (Beam trawls, Bottom otter trawls, Bottom seines, Dredges, Pelagic trawls and seines, Static gears). Fishing effort data are only shown for vessels >12 m having vessel monitoring systems (VMS); ii) the average annual subsurface (top) and surface (bottom) mobile bottom contacting fishing gear (i.e. bottom otter trawls, bottom seines, dredges, beam trawls) disturbance by ecoregion in the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast, Baltic Sea, Barents Sea, Celtic Seas, Faroes, Greater North Sea, Icelandic Waters, Norwegian Sea and Oceanic Northeast Atlantic, expressed as average swept-area ratios (SAR). Due to data confidentiality issues, VMS/logbook data are anonymized and aggregated in a 0.05×0.05 degree grid prior to submission to ICES, using the C-squares geocode system (polygons). The last data loaded into the database, from the ICES 2022 Fishing Overview, report the 2018-2021 averages. Compared with the previous one this new version has a new dataset schema and also historical data have been included in the database.

The dataset on fishing effort in the EU waters was created in 2020 by Cogea for the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). It is updated every year and is available for viewing and download on the EMODnet web portal (Human Activities, https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/human-activities). The dataset is the result of the elaboration of the 'STECF 22-06 - EU Fleet Economic and Transversal data_fleet segment (Version 1.1)' of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) of the EU Commission (JRC). Aggregated STECF data have been related to georeferenced FAO's fishing statistical areas (27, 34 and 37, at all levels) and to Geographical subareas (GSAs) of the FAO's General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM). Where and when available, data on Days at sea, Fishing days, Gross Tonnage fishing days, kW fishing days are provided for each FAO fishing statistical area and GSA by year of reference, Country, fishing technology and vessel length classes. With this update the dataset covers now a time series from 2008 to 2021.