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Human activities are causing unprecedented environmental changes for coastal and marine ecosystems. Pressures from fishing, pollution from land- and sea-based sources, urbanisation, loss and degradation of valuable habitat, and invasions of non-native species are growing worldwide. All these impacts are likely to be exacerbated by the changing climate. More

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EU reaches the Aichi target of protecting ten percent of Europe's seas

News 25 Oct 2018

A total of 10.8 % of the surface of Europe’s seas was designated as marine protected areas by the end of 2016, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment, published today. This means the EU has reached the global Aichi target of protecting at least 10 % of coastal and marine areas by 2020. However, the EEA analysis also shows that the protected area networks are skewed towards coastal waters and do not sufficiently cover the deep sea.

WaterPIX photo competition winners announced

News 24 Oct 2018

Cattle crossing a river in Turkey, a dramatic shot of a diving kingfisher in Croatia and a fisherman paddling on a Polish lagoon were some of the top winners of the WaterPIX photo competition announced today. The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) competition drew over 2000 entries from 34 countries.

Vote for your favourite WaterPIX finalist photos

News 15 Sep 2018

The WaterPIX photo competition, organised by the European Environment Agency (EEA), has reached its last stage with 49 finalist photos. A public online vote that starts today will decide the winner of the Public Choice Award.

New data collected by citizens: Cigarette butts and filters the most common pieces of litter on Europe’s beaches

News 08 Jun 2018

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has released new data about litter found on Europe’s beaches. Based on nearly 700,000 collected items, disposable plastics are the biggest contributor to marine litter, with cigarette butts and filters being the most commonly found individual items. The new data has been collected by volunteers using the EEA’s Marine LitterWatch mobile app.

EU reaches the Aichi target of protecting ten percent of Europe's seas A total of 10.8 % of the surface of Europe’s seas was designated as marine protected areas by the end of 2016, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment, published today. This means the EU has reached the global Aichi target of protecting at least 10 % of coastal and marine areas by 2020. However, the EEA analysis also shows that the protected area networks are skewed towards coastal waters and do not sufficiently cover the deep sea.

WaterPIX photo competition winners announced Cattle crossing a river in Turkey, a dramatic shot of a diving kingfisher in Croatia and a fisherman paddling on a Polish lagoon were some of the top winners of the WaterPIX photo competition announced today. The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) competition drew over 2000 entries from 34 countries.

Vote for your favourite WaterPIX finalist photos The WaterPIX photo competition, organised by the European Environment Agency (EEA), has reached its last stage with 49 finalist photos. A public online vote that starts today will decide the winner of the Public Choice Award.

New data collected by citizens: Cigarette butts and filters the most common pieces of litter on Europe’s beaches The European Environment Agency (EEA) has released new data about litter found on Europe’s beaches. Based on nearly 700,000 collected items, disposable plastics are the biggest contributor to marine litter, with cigarette butts and filters being the most commonly found individual items. The new data has been collected by volunteers using the EEA’s Marine LitterWatch mobile app.

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Marine protected areas

Publication 25 Oct 2018

Designed to conserve Europe's marine life, marine protected areas are a globally recognised toolfor managing and enhancing our marine ecosystems.

Marine messages

Publication 20 Feb 2014

Europe's seas are home to a rich and diverse array of species, habitats and ecosystems. Although vital for Europe's economic and social wellbeing, many of these ecosystems risk being irreversibly damaged by human activities. 'Marine messages', a briefing from the European Environment Agency (EEA), provides an overview of the current state-of-affairs of European seas and our use of them. It argues that economic activities including transport, fishing, offshore energy and tourism should be better managed so that they ensure sustainable health of marine ecosystems.

Balancing the future of Europe's coasts — knowledge base for integrated management

Publication 28 Nov 2013

The objective of this report is to frame an analytical approach for coastal areas in Europe, and to place this in the context of the new socio‑economic drivers of sustainable growth, and the formation of a new integrated policy framework. This framework builds on an ecosystem‑based management approach and integrated spatial planning and management. The report presents some key sustainability challenges for European coastal areas and waters, and highlights the need for a consolidated knowledge base and widespread information‑sharing to support informed policy development and management actions.

Hazardous substances in Europe's fresh and marine waters — An overview

Publication 15 Jul 2011

Chemicals are an essential part of our daily lives and are used to produce consumer goods, to protect or restore our health and to boost food production, to name but a few examples. Some chemicals, however, are hazardous, raising concerns for the environment and human health. Hazardous substances are emitted to fresh and marine waters via a number of pathways and can have detrimental effects on aquatic biota. Humans can be exposed to hazardous substances in water through the ingestion of contaminated drinking water and the consumption of contaminated freshwater fish and seafood. A wide range of legislation now exists in Europe to address the release of hazardous substances to the environment, including water. New challenges exist, however, including the issues of chemical mixtures and emerging pollutants.

Marine protected areas Designed to conserve Europe's marine life, marine protected areas are a globally recognised toolfor managing and enhancing our marine ecosystems.

Marine messages Europe's seas are home to a rich and diverse array of species, habitats and ecosystems. Although vital for Europe's economic and social wellbeing, many of these ecosystems risk being irreversibly damaged by human activities. 'Marine messages', a briefing from the European Environment Agency (EEA), provides an overview of the current state-of-affairs of European seas and our use of them. It argues that economic activities including transport, fishing, offshore energy and tourism should be better managed so that they ensure sustainable health of marine ecosystems.

Balancing the future of Europe's coasts — knowledge base for integrated management The objective of this report is to frame an analytical approach for coastal areas in Europe, and to place this in the context of the new socio‑economic drivers of sustainable growth, and the formation of a new integrated policy framework. This framework builds on an ecosystem‑based management approach and integrated spatial planning and management. The report presents some key sustainability challenges for European coastal areas and waters, and highlights the need for a consolidated knowledge base and widespread information‑sharing to support informed policy development and management actions.

Hazardous substances in Europe's fresh and marine waters — An overview Chemicals are an essential part of our daily lives and are used to produce consumer goods, to protect or restore our health and to boost food production, to name but a few examples. Some chemicals, however, are hazardous, raising concerns for the environment and human health. Hazardous substances are emitted to fresh and marine waters via a number of pathways and can have detrimental effects on aquatic biota. Humans can be exposed to hazardous substances in water through the ingestion of contaminated drinking water and the consumption of contaminated freshwater fish and seafood. A wide range of legislation now exists in Europe to address the release of hazardous substances to the environment, including water. New challenges exist, however, including the issues of chemical mixtures and emerging pollutants.

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Status of marine fish and shellfish stocks in European seas

Indicator Assessment 06 Feb 2019

As a main source of protein, fish stocks and other sea products are renewable resources, which could sustain human needs in the long term — if exploited in an appropriate manner. The overall use of fish and shellfish stocks in Europe currently remains beyond the limit for long-term environmental sustainability. However, the analysis of long time series shows important and recent signs of improvement in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea. Since the early 2000s, better management of fish and shellfish stocks has contributed to a clear decrease in fishing pressure in these two regional seas, and signs of recovery in the reproductive capacity of several fish and shellfish stocks have started to appear. If these efforts continue, meeting the 2020 objective for healthy fish and shellfish stocks in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea could be possible based on two of three criteria (i.e. fishing mortality and reproductive capacity). In contrast, there is small likelihood that the 2020 policy objective will be met in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

EEA coastline for analysis

Data 11 Dec 2018

The EEA coastline dataset has been created for detailed analysis (e.g.:1/100000) for geographical Europe. The coastline is a hybrid product obtained from satellite imagery from two projects: EUHYDRO (Pan-European hydrographic and drainage database) and GSHHG (A Global Self-consistent, Hierarchical, High-resolution Geography Database), as well as some manual amendments to meet requirements from EU Nature Directives, Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. In 2015, several corrections were made in the Kalogeroi Islands and two other Greek little islets, as well as in the peninsula of Porkkala. In this revision from 2017, two big lagoons have been removed from Baltic region, because, according to HELCOM, are freshwater lagoons.

Bathing water quality for the 28 EU Member States, Albania and Switzerland

Data Visualization 29 Nov 2018

Overall bathing water quality in the EU

Data Visualization 29 Nov 2018

Status of the assessed European fish stocks in relation to Good Environmental Status per regional sea

Figure 28 Nov 2018

This figure shows the status of the assessed European fish stocks in relation to ‘Good Environmental Status’ (GES) per regional sea in 2015. Stocks for which adequate information is available to determine GES for fishing mortality (F) and/or reproductive capacity (spawning stock biomass (SSB)) are included in this figure (i.e. total number of assessed stocks). A distinction is made between stocks (1) in GES, based on both fishing mortality and reproductive capacity; (2) in GES, based on either fishing mortality or reproductive capacity; and (3) not in GES, based on fishing mortality and/or reproductive capacity (see the Methodology section for further information on how GES is determined). As assessments are carried out in a multiannual cycle within the Mediterranean, the number of stocks included for the Mediterranean depends on the period covered.

Landings of fish and shellfish per regional sea, and proportion of landings for which stock assessments are available

Figure 28 Nov 2018

This figure shows landings of commercial fish and shellfish per regional sea, and the proportions of landings for which stock assessments were conducted in 2015. A distinction is made between the landings for (1) assessed stocks for which adequate information is available to determine good environmental status (GES) for fishing mortality (F) and/or reproductive capacity (spawning stock biomass (SSB)); (2) assessed stocks for which insufficient information is available to determine GES for F and/or SSB; and (3) unassessed stocks (for further information see EEA CSI032, 2018, Methodology section, on how this distinction is made, and European Commission Decision 2017/848/EU on criteria and methodological standards on GES of marine waters).

Arctic and Baltic sea ice

Indicator Assessment 15 Nov 2018

The extent and volume of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly since global data became available, especially in summer. Over the period 1979–2018, the Arctic has lost, on average, 89 000 km 2 per year by the end of summer (measured in September) and 46 000 km 2 of sea ice per year in winter (measured in March). In each of the last 12 years (2007–2018), Arctic summer sea ice extent was lower than in any previous year since the introduction of satellites in 1979. Arctic winter sea ice in 2017 and 2018 were the lowest on record. Arctic sea ice is also getting younger and thinner. The fraction of multi-year ice (i.e. ice that has sustained at least one summer) has decreased from 45 % in March 1985 to 21 % in March 2017. The maximum sea ice extent in the Baltic Sea shows a decreasing trend since about 1800. The decrease appears to have accelerated since the 1980s, but the interannual variability is large. Arctic sea ice is projected to continue shrinking and thinning. At current emission rates, a nearly ice-free Arctic Ocean at the end of summer is likely before mid-century. In contrast, emissions scenarios compatible with 1.5 °C global warming are expected to preserve Arctic summer sea ice. Baltic Sea ice, in particular the extent of the maximal cover, is projected to continue to shrink. Changes in the extent of sea ice are an important indicator of global warming. Reduced Arctic sea ice is accelerating global warming through the ice-albedo feedback. Arctic sea ice decline has also been linked to changing climate and weather extremes in Europe and beyond.

Distribution of marine litter by material type

Figure 07 Jun 2018

The illustration shows the distribution of marine litter reported by the public and where they were found

Europe's seas and selected characteristics of EU marine protected area networks

Figure 18 Dec 2015

The table shows the areal extent of Europe's seas and selected characteristics of EU marine protected areas (MPAs), namely area coverage, percentage of coverage and total number of sites. Data excludes the Icelandic Sea, Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea

Climate change and the seas

Infographic 15 Oct 2015

Climate change is warming the oceans, causing acidification of marine environments, and changing rainfall patterns. This combination of factors often exacerbates of other human pressures on the seas, leading to biodiversity loss in the oceans.

Marine litter (data from LitterWatch)

Data 09 Jun 2015

The European Environment Agency has developed Marine LitterWatch mobile app to collect information on marine litter and strengthen Europe’s knowledge base and thus provide support to European policy making. Marine LitterWatch is a citizen science based app that aims to help fill data gaps in beach litter monitoring.

What are the sources and impacts of marine litter?

Infographic 12 Mar 2015

Increasing amounts of litter are ending up in the world’s oceans and harming the health of ecosystems, killing animals and putting human health at risk. The solution lies in waste prevention and better waste management on land.

Status of marine fish and shellfish stocks in European seas As a main source of protein, fish stocks and other sea products are renewable resources, which could sustain human needs in the long term — if exploited in an appropriate manner. The overall use of fish and shellfish stocks in Europe currently remains beyond the limit for long-term environmental sustainability. However, the analysis of long time series shows important and recent signs of improvement in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea. Since the early 2000s, better management of fish and shellfish stocks has contributed to a clear decrease in fishing pressure in these two regional seas, and signs of recovery in the reproductive capacity of several fish and shellfish stocks have started to appear. If these efforts continue, meeting the 2020 objective for healthy fish and shellfish stocks in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Baltic Sea could be possible based on two of three criteria (i.e. fishing mortality and reproductive capacity). In contrast, there is small likelihood that the 2020 policy objective will be met in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

EEA coastline for analysis The EEA coastline dataset has been created for detailed analysis (e.g.:1/100000) for geographical Europe. The coastline is a hybrid product obtained from satellite imagery from two projects: EUHYDRO (Pan-European hydrographic and drainage database) and GSHHG (A Global Self-consistent, Hierarchical, High-resolution Geography Database), as well as some manual amendments to meet requirements from EU Nature Directives, Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. In 2015, several corrections were made in the Kalogeroi Islands and two other Greek little islets, as well as in the peninsula of Porkkala. In this revision from 2017, two big lagoons have been removed from Baltic region, because, according to HELCOM, are freshwater lagoons.

Bathing water quality for the 28 EU Member States, Albania and Switzerland

Overall bathing water quality in the EU

Status of the assessed European fish stocks in relation to Good Environmental Status per regional sea This figure shows the status of the assessed European fish stocks in relation to ‘Good Environmental Status’ (GES) per regional sea in 2015. Stocks for which adequate information is available to determine GES for fishing mortality (F) and/or reproductive capacity (spawning stock biomass (SSB)) are included in this figure (i.e. total number of assessed stocks). A distinction is made between stocks (1) in GES, based on both fishing mortality and reproductive capacity; (2) in GES, based on either fishing mortality or reproductive capacity; and (3) not in GES, based on fishing mortality and/or reproductive capacity (see the Methodology section for further information on how GES is determined). As assessments are carried out in a multiannual cycle within the Mediterranean, the number of stocks included for the Mediterranean depends on the period covered.

Landings of fish and shellfish per regional sea, and proportion of landings for which stock assessments are available This figure shows landings of commercial fish and shellfish per regional sea, and the proportions of landings for which stock assessments were conducted in 2015. A distinction is made between the landings for (1) assessed stocks for which adequate information is available to determine good environmental status (GES) for fishing mortality (F) and/or reproductive capacity (spawning stock biomass (SSB)); (2) assessed stocks for which insufficient information is available to determine GES for F and/or SSB; and (3) unassessed stocks (for further information see EEA CSI032, 2018, Methodology section, on how this distinction is made, and European Commission Decision 2017/848/EU on criteria and methodological standards on GES of marine waters).

$The extent and volume of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly since global data became available, especially in summer. Over the period 1979–2018, the Arctic has lost, on average, 89 000 km 2 per year by the end of summer (measured in September) and 46 000 km 2 of sea ice per year in winter (measured in March). In each of the last 12 years (2007–2018), Arctic summer sea ice extent was lower than in any previous year since the introduction of satellites in 1979. Arctic winter sea ice in 2017 and 2018 were the lowest on record. Arctic sea ice is also getting younger and thinner. The fraction of multi-year ice (i.e. ice that has sustained at least one summer) has decreased from 45 % in March 1985 to 21 % in March 2017. The maximum sea ice extent in the Baltic Sea shows a decreasing trend since about 1800. The decrease appears to have accelerated since the 1980s, but the interannual variability is large. Arctic sea ice is projected to continue shrinking and thinning. At current emission rates, a nearly ice-free Arctic Ocean at the end of summer is likely before mid-century. In contrast, emissions scenarios compatible with 1.5 °C global warming are expected to preserve Arctic summer sea ice. Baltic Sea ice, in particular the extent of the maximal cover, is projected to continue to shrink. Changes in the extent of sea ice are an important indicator of global warming. Reduced Arctic sea ice is accelerating global warming through the ice-albedo feedback. Arctic sea ice decline has also been linked to changing climate and weather extremes in Europe and beyond.$ Arctic and Baltic sea ice The extent and volume of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly since global data became available, especially in summer. Over the period 1979–2018, the Arctic has lost, on average, 89 000 km 2 per year by the end of summer (measured in September) and 46 000 km 2 of sea ice per year in winter (measured in March). In each of the last 12 years (2007–2018), Arctic summer sea ice extent was lower than in any previous year since the introduction of satellites in 1979. Arctic winter sea ice in 2017 and 2018 were the lowest on record. Arctic sea ice is also getting younger and thinner. The fraction of multi-year ice (i.e. ice that has sustained at least one summer) has decreased from 45 % in March 1985 to 21 % in March 2017. The maximum sea ice extent in the Baltic Sea shows a decreasing trend since about 1800. The decrease appears to have accelerated since the 1980s, but the interannual variability is large. Arctic sea ice is projected to continue shrinking and thinning. At current emission rates, a nearly ice-free Arctic Ocean at the end of summer is likely before mid-century. In contrast, emissions scenarios compatible with 1.5 °C global warming are expected to preserve Arctic summer sea ice. Baltic Sea ice, in particular the extent of the maximal cover, is projected to continue to shrink. Changes in the extent of sea ice are an important indicator of global warming. Reduced Arctic sea ice is accelerating global warming through the ice-albedo feedback. Arctic sea ice decline has also been linked to changing climate and weather extremes in Europe and beyond.

Distribution of marine litter by material type The illustration shows the distribution of marine litter reported by the public and where they were found

Europe's seas and selected characteristics of EU marine protected area networks The table shows the areal extent of Europe's seas and selected characteristics of EU marine protected areas (MPAs), namely area coverage, percentage of coverage and total number of sites. Data excludes the Icelandic Sea, Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea

Climate change and the seas Climate change is warming the oceans, causing acidification of marine environments, and changing rainfall patterns. This combination of factors often exacerbates of other human pressures on the seas, leading to biodiversity loss in the oceans.

Marine litter (data from LitterWatch) The European Environment Agency has developed Marine LitterWatch mobile app to collect information on marine litter and strengthen Europe’s knowledge base and thus provide support to European policy making. Marine LitterWatch is a citizen science based app that aims to help fill data gaps in beach litter monitoring.

What are the sources and impacts of marine litter? Increasing amounts of litter are ending up in the world’s oceans and harming the health of ecosystems, killing animals and putting human health at risk. The solution lies in waste prevention and better waste management on land.