This dataset contains data used for assessing the HELCOM core indicator Nutritional status of seals 2018. The data has been collated by indicator leads based on national monitoring data. For this dataset, the data is aggregated and summarized by ICES Subdivisions. Attribute information: "Major_FA": FAO Major Area "SubArea": FAO Subarea "Division": ICES division "SubDivisio": ICES sub-division "Unit" "Area_full" "Area_27" "Area_km2": Area of ICES sub-division "ICES_SD": ICES sub-division "Female": Number of females per ICES sub-division "Male": Number of males per ICES sub-division "F1_year_ol": Number of 1 year old individuals per ICES sub-division "F2_year_ol": Number of 2 year old individuals per ICES sub-division "F3_year_ol": Number of 3 year old individuals per ICES sub-division "n_hunted": Number of hunted individuals per ICES sub-division "n_by_caught": Number of by caught individuals per ICES sub-division "n_stranded": Number of stranded individuals per ICES sub-division "Length_100": Number of individuals with 100 to 110 cm length per ICES sub-division "Length_111": Number of individuals with 111 to 120 cm length per ICES sub-division "Length_121": Number of individuals with 121 to 130 cm length per ICES sub-division "Length_131": Number of individuals with 131 to 140 cm length per ICES sub-division "Length_141": Number of individuals with 141 to 150 cm length per ICES sub-division "Length_151": Number of individuals with 151 to 160 cm length per ICES sub-division "Length_161": Number of individuals with 161 to 170 cm length per ICES sub-division "Length_171": Number of individuals with 171 to 180 cm length per ICES sub-division "Length_mor": Number of individuals with more than 181 cm length per ICES sub-division "Data_sourc": Data provider "Data_origi": Country of the data "Data_restr": Data restriction "Blubber_10": Number of individuals with measured blubber of 10 to 20 mm "Blubber_21": Number of individuals with measured blubber of 21 to 30 mm "Blubber_31": Number of individuals with measured blubber of 31 to 40 mm "Blubber_41": Number of individuals with measured blubber of 41 to 50 mm "Blubber_51": Number of individuals with measured blubber of 51 to 60 mm "Blubber_61": Number of individuals with measured blubber of 61 to 70 mm

Observations of Parvicardium hauniense were collected from the Baltic Sea area for HELCOM Red List species list. The HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea species in danger of becoming extinct (2013) is the first threat assessment for Baltic Sea species that covers all marine mammals, fish, birds, macrophytes (aquatic plants), and benthic invertebrates, and follows the Red List criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Almost 2800 species were considered in the Red List assessment and about 1750 were evaluated according to the IUCN Red List criteria. Parvicardium hauniense has been placed to the Red List category of Vulnerable (VU) species. Dataset for download contains spatial grid of the Baltic Sea. Distribution of the species can be found in corresponding name column. Values are coded: 1 - Present before year 2000 or in 2000, 2 - Present after year 2000, 3 - Present both before and after year 2000.

This dataset describes fishing intensity for OT DMF mobile bottom contacting gear in 2012 based on VMS/Log book data processed by ICES Working Group on Spatial Fisheries Data (WGSFD). ICES secretariat collected during 2017 relevant VMS and logbook data for 2009-2016 to produce, as a technical service to HELCOM, updated spatial data layers on fishing intensity/pressure. Improved data quality control checks were implemented. Submitted data across the HELCOM area have improved in quality compared to previous data 2009-2013 published in 2015. Standardized methods were used to produce the requested data layers. The code used to create the data products is available here: https://github.com/ices-eg/wg_WGSFD For further technical information on the advice request, see http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2017/Special_requests/helcom.2017.18.pdf HELCOM secretariat did the following processing to the shapefile provided by ICES: - Conversion to ETRS89LAEA coordinate system - Added feature and attribute "Reported" to display unreported areas. Dataset attribute information: c-square: Unique reference of the c-square polygon Year: Year of fishing activity mid_lat: latitude coordinate of the centroid of c-square inWGS84 decimal degrees mid_lon: longitude coordinate of the centroid of c-square inWGS84 decimal degrees SurfaceSAR: Surface area ratio (Swept area, < 2 cm penetration depth of the gear components) Subsurface: Subsurface area ratio (Swept area, subsurface =>2 cm penetration depth of the gear components) totweight: Total Weight (kg) totvalue: Total value (Euros) Kw Fishing Hours: (Kw*h) Fishing hours: (h) Reported: Yes=Reported data. No= No reported data (area that does not contain effort/intensity value due to lack of reported data). Please note that this dataset was updated (v2) in January 2019, see further details below in the lineage section.

Summary Estimated observations of the biotope 1140 were collected from the Baltic Sea area by expert judgements for HELCOM Red List of biotopes, habitats and biotope complexes. Description Mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tideThe HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea underwater biotopes, habitats and biotope complexes (2013) is an updated and improved version of the Red List assessment of marine and coastal biotopes and biotope complexes published in 1998. The classification of the report follows the proposed International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria and assessment principals but with some modifications for the Baltic Sea.Altogether, the HELCOM Underwater Biotope and habitat classification (HELCOM HUB) includes 209 biotopes of which 59 were red-listed. Many of the red-listed biotopes are located in deep areas of the Baltic Sea due to oxygen-free nature as well as in the southwestern Baltic Sea due to the salinity restricted distribution of species in certain biotope. The HELCOM assessment relies heavily on expert judgment and inference, and the questionnaire data represents the estimated presence-absence data not in-situ measured data. This must be taken in account when observing the map presentation. The biotopes are shown on the map using the EEA 100 km grid. This dataset displays estimated presence of the biotope 1140 according to HELCOM RED LIST assessment experts:Mudflats and sandflats not covered by sea water at low tide occur in all parts of the Baltic Sea area, but patterns and descriptions of their distribution are mostly missing. In the Lahemaa area (Southern Gulf of Finland) for example, they are representing 3% of all habitats and also in the German Baltic Sea region they form a very narrow strip along some the coastlines. No information is available on their historical distribution. The distribution map indicates the area in the 100 x 100 km grid where biotope is known to occur (Naturvårdverket 2011, EUNIS Database).(Data (expert judgements) collected in HELCOM RED LIST project, released in May 2013)

This dataset represents the underlying seawater data on core indicator Radioactive substances: Cesium-137 in-fish-and-surface-seawater. The core indicator evaluates the state of the environment using the concentration of the radioactive isotope cesium-137 (137Cs) in herring, in flatfish and in surface waters. Quantitative thresholds are used to evaluate if core indicators Achieve or Fail Good status or if the status is Not assessed. Good status is achieved when concentrations reach levels measured before the Chernobyl accident in 1986 when the biota of the Baltic Sea received the most significant contribution to their level of artificial radionuclides, predominantly in the form of 137Cs. This dataset displays the result of the indicator in HELCOM Assessment Scale 2 (Division of the Baltic Sea into 17 sub-basins). Attribute information: "KEY" = MORS Database unique sample identifier "COUNTRY" = Code for country of observation "YEAR" = Year of observation "STATION" = Unique text that identifies the station "TDEPTH" = Bottom depth at sampling site (m) "SDEPTH" = Sampling depth (m) "ASSESSMENT" = Name of the HELCOM scale 2 assessment unit (subbasin) "NUCLIDE" = Nuclide measured "VALUE_Bq_m" = Value of measurement in Bq/m3

This dataset describes fishing intensity for Dredge mobile bottom contacting gear in 2009 based on VMS/Log book data processed by ICES Working Group on Spatial Fisheries Data (WGSFD). ICES secretariat collected during 2017 relevant VMS and logbook data for 2009-2016 to produce, as a technical service to HELCOM, updated spatial data layers on fishing intensity/pressure. Improved data quality control checks were implemented. Submitted data across the HELCOM area have improved in quality compared to previous data 2009-2013 published in 2015. Standardized methods were used to produce the requested data layers. The code used to create the data products is available here: https://github.com/ices-eg/wg_WGSFD For further technical information on the advice request, see http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2017/Special_requests/helcom.2017.18.pdf HELCOM secretariat did the following processing to the shapefile provided by ICES: - Conversion to ETRS89LAEA coordinate system - Added feature and attribute "Reported" to display unreported areas. Dataset attribute information: c-square: Unique reference of the c-square polygon Year: Year of fishing activity mid_lat: latitude coordinate of the centroid of c-square inWGS84 decimal degrees mid_lon: longitude coordinate of the centroid of c-square inWGS84 decimal degrees SurfaceSAR: Surface area ratio (Swept area, < 2 cm penetration depth of the gear components) Subsurface: Subsurface area ratio (Swept area, subsurface =>2 cm penetration depth of the gear components) totweight: Total Weight (kg) totvalue: Total value (Euros) Kw Fishing Hours: (Kw*h) Fishing hours: (h) Reported: Yes=Reported data. No= No reported data (area that does not contain effort/intensity value due to lack of reported data). Please note that this dataset was updated (v2) in January 2019, see further details below in the lineage section.

Essential fish habitat (EFH) map on Potential spawning areas for European flounder was prepared in PanBalticScope project (co-founded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund of the European Union) http://www.panbalticscope.eu/ European flounder (Platichthys flesus) is a key species in many coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, mainly in the central and southern sub-basins. Adults feed in shallow, coastal areas during summer and move out to deeper areas in winter, where the spawning takes place in spring. European flounder spawns above the sea floor in deep water, in areas with sufficiently high salinity for fertilization and pelagic egg development. ‘Potential spawning areas’ were initially delineated by a species distribution model (Orio et al. 2017) developed based on years 1993-1997 to consider a period with relatively better oxygen conditions, but applied with more recent data (2011-2014). The area was further delineated to encompass only areas deeper than 30 m in order to represent pelagic spawning habitat. ‘High probability spawning areas’ were identified as the sub-section encompassing salinity > 10. It should be noted that flounders in the Baltic Sea were recently separated into two species, and that spawning areas of the Baltic flounder (Platichthys solemdali) are described separately. The two data layers do not overlap and can be combined to obtain a map on spawning areas for both flounder species taken together. Stock: ICES identifies two stocks of European flounder in the Baltic Sea: ICES subdivisions 22-23 (Belt Sea and the Sound), and 24-25 (West of Bornholm and Southern Central Baltic Sea). EFH type: Spawning areas Approach: Species distribution modelling combined with identification of environmental salinity window and depth conditions for spawning. Variables and thresholds: Depth > 30 m, Salinity > 10 Quality: The data layer is based on species distribution modelling focusing on mature flounder at the spawning stage and should be considered a rough estimation. The data layers on environmental variables are based on modelling. Other variables than those tested in the model may also be influential. The studies from which the thresholds values for environmental variables have been obtained are based on publications conducted before the separation of Baltic flounder from European flounder but have taken the specific characteristics of the separate spawning ecotypes into account. Note: the map on European flounder spawning areas is currently missing information for the western Baltic Sea including the Kattegat. Attribute information: Raster value representing no spawning (0), potential spawning area (0.5) and high probability spawning area (1). References: - Momigliano, P, GP Denys, H Jokinen, and J Merilä (2018) Platichthys solemdali sp. nov. (Actinopterygii, Pleuronectiformes): a new flounder species from the Baltic Sea. Frontiers in Marine Science 5:225 - Nissling, A, L Westin, and O Hjerne (2002) Reproductive success in relation to salinity for three flatfish species, dab (Limanda limanda), plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), and flounder (Pleuronectes flesus), in the brackish water Baltic Sea. ICES Journal of Marine Science 59:93-108 - Orio, A, U Bergström, M Casini, M Erlandsson, R Eschbaum, K Hüssy, A Lehmann, L Ložys, D Ustups, and A-B Florin (2017a) Characterizing and predicting the distribution of Baltic Sea flounder (Platichthys flesus) during the spawning season. Journal of Sea Research 126:46-55 - Seifert, T, F Tauber, and B Kayser (2001) A high resolution spherical grid topography of the Baltic Sea -2nd edition. Baltic sea Science Congress, Stockholm 25-29 November 2001, Poster #147

This dataset describes fishing intensity for SDN DMF mobile bottom contacting gear in 2016 based on VMS/Log book data processed by ICES Working Group on Spatial Fisheries Data (WGSFD). ICES secretariat collected during 2017 relevant VMS and logbook data for 2009-2016 to produce, as a technical service to HELCOM, updated spatial data layers on fishing intensity/pressure. Improved data quality control checks were implemented. Submitted data across the HELCOM area have improved in quality compared to previous data 2009-2013 published in 2015. Standardized methods were used to produce the requested data layers. The code used to create the data products is available here: https://github.com/ices-eg/wg_WGSFD For further technical information on the advice request, see http://www.ices.dk/sites/pub/Publication%20Reports/Advice/2017/Special_requests/helcom.2017.18.pdf HELCOM secretariat did the following processing to the shapefile provided by ICES: - Conversion to ETRS89LAEA coordinate system - Added feature and attribute "Reported" to display unreported areas. Dataset attribute information: c-square: Unique reference of the c-square polygon Year: Year of fishing activity mid_lat: latitude coordinate of the centroid of c-square inWGS84 decimal degrees mid_lon: longitude coordinate of the centroid of c-square inWGS84 decimal degrees SurfaceSAR: Surface area ratio (Swept area, < 2 cm penetration depth of the gear components) Subsurface: Subsurface area ratio (Swept area, subsurface =>2 cm penetration depth of the gear components) totweight: Total Weight (kg) totvalue: Total value (Euros) Kw Fishing Hours: (Kw*h) Fishing hours: (h) Reported: Yes=Reported data. No= No reported data (area that does not contain effort/intensity value due to lack of reported data). Please note that this dataset was updated (v2) in January 2019, see further details below in the lineage section.

Observations of Corystes cassivelaunus were collected from the Baltic Sea area for the HELCOM Red List species list. The HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea species in danger of becoming extinct (2013) is the first threat assessment for Baltic Sea species that covers all marine mammals, fish, birds, macrophytes (aquatic plants), and benthic invertebrates, and follows the Red List criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Almost 2800 species were considered in the Red List assessment and about 1750 were evaluated according to the IUCN Red List criteria. Corystes cassivelaunus has been placed to the Red List category of Near Threatened (NT) species. Dataset for download contains spatial grid of the Baltic Sea. Distribution of the species can be found in corresponding name column. Values are coded: 1 - Present before year 2000 or in 2000, 2 - Present after year 2000, 3 - Present both before and after year 2000.

This dataset represents the underlying data on core indicator Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD). The core indicator evaluates the status of the marine environment based on concentrations of Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) in sediment. Quantitative threshold values are used to evaluate if core indicators status is Achieve, Fail or Not assessed. The threshold value is an environmental quality standard (EQS), derived at EU level as a substance included on the priority list under Directive 2008/105/EC. This dataset displays the result of the indicator in HELCOM Assessment Scale 4 (Division of the Baltic Sea into 17 sub-basins and further division into coastal and off-shore areas and division of the coastal areas by WFD water types or water bodies) Attribute information: "region" = name of region "country" = country "station" = Unique code for station "stationNam" = name for the station "determinan" = determinant parameter "detGroup" = the grouping of determinants used to display the results "_shape" = shape used to map assessment results "colour" = colour used to map assessment results "l3area" = HELCOM assessment unit on scale 3 "l4area" = HELCOM assessment unit on scale 4 "nyall" = total number of years of data "nyfit" = number of years of data used in the assessment "nypos" = number of years with at least one measurement above the limit of detection "lastyear" = most recent year of data "prtrend" = the significance of the change over the most recent 20 years; for the assessment conducted in November 2017 and published in June 2018, this is the period 1996-2016 "rtrend" = annual ‘linear’ change over the most recent 20 years "meanLY" = fitted value in last monitoring year "clLY" = upper one-sided 95% confidence limit on fitted value in last monitoring year "EQS" = Threshold value "EQSdiff" = difference between clLY and EQS "EQSbelow" = whether the mean value in the last monitoring year is significantly below EQS