North Sea

The North Sea is an epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north. It is a relatively shallow sea, with a mean depth of 90 meters. Due to the dense human populations and extensive industrialization along its shores, the North Sea wildlife has been heavily impacted by pollution, overhunting, and overfishing, with most commercial stocks now considered either fully exploited or overexploited. The North Sea is Europe’s main fishery ground, accounting for over 5% of international commercial fish caught, with catches concentrated primarily in its southern coastal waters. The North Sea marine ecosystem has been extensively studied for decades, particularly regarding ecosystem structure, as well as the impacts of fishing and climate change. Moreover, the majority of its commercial fish and invertebrate stocks are regularly assessed.