Error message

Deprecated function: The each() function is deprecated. This message will be suppressed on further calls in menu_set_active_trail() (line 2385 of /srv/data/web/vhosts/www.indiseas.org/htdocs/includes/menu.inc).

North Sea - Geographic Area

The North Sea is a mid-latitude, relatively shallow continental shelf area covering approximately 570,000 km2 (Jones 1982) with an average depth of approximately 90 m, the deepest part in the Norwegian trench, being approximately 400 m deep. It is bounded by the coasts of Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Great Britain (Figure 1) and recognised as a Large Marine Ecosystem (McGlade 2002). The continental coastal zone (mean depth 15 m) represents an area of about 60,000 km2, under strong influence of terrigeneous inputs. The limits for this study are defined by the ICES divisions IVa,b,c approximately bounded by the area 4°W to 8°E and 51° to 62°N.

FAO Fishing Areas:  [ 27.III.a ; 27.IV.a ; 27.IV.b ; 27.IV.c ]