Essential Fish Habitats - Full Composite Product (2025)

The EMODnet Seabed Habitats project has produced the first integrated and harmonized polygon layer representing the best available evidence for the distribution of Essential Fish Habitats (EFH) across European seas. Since 2021, EMODnet has been collecting EFH maps covering key life stages of commercially important marine species. The 2024 composite integrates 109 datasets from the Atlantic, North Sea, Baltic, and Mediterranean regions, using standardized attributes and confidence scores. This European-wide EFH layer provides a valuable resource to support fisheries management, biodiversity conservation, and the evaluation of protection measures under the EU Common Fisheries Policy and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The composite is a work in progress and will be further expanded and refined as new EFH data become available.