This dataset has been created to establish the reference situation of benthic macro-invertebrates (macro-, endobenthos en macro-epibenthos) and demersal fish in the Belgian windfarm area

This dataset is part of the historic monitoring campaign onboard of the lightship West-Hinder. Temperature, salinity & alkalinity were measured daily. At the same time plankton samples were taken. The presences/absences for plankton samples were recovered by ICES. The quantitative data could not be found, but zooplankton counts for 1902 were published in Van Meel 1975. La Mer du Nord méridionale, le Pas-de-Calais et la Manche: essai d'écologie marine, principalement en ce qui concerne le microplancton: II. Etude planctonique. Data were digitized by VLIZ in the frame of the LifeWatch project.

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Pisces collection contains 3342 digitised specimens over 485 taxa (mostly species). This dataset only contains the marine species of the collection. The following classes are included: Actinopterygii, Cephalaspidomorphi, Cephalochordata Owen, Chondrichtyes, Myxini, Sarcopterygii.

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Echinodermata collection contains 4275 digitised specimens over 403 taxa (mostly species). This dataset only contains the marine species of the collection. The following classes are included: Asteroidea de Blainville, 1830, Crinoidea, Echinoidea Leske, 1778, Holothuroidea De Blainville, 1834, Ophiuroidea Gray, 1840.

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Cnidaria collection contains 5754 digitised specimens over 281 taxa (mostly species). This dataset only contains the marine species of the collection. The following classes are included: Gastropoda Cuvier, 1797, Hydrozoa Owen, 1843.

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Mammalia collection contains 650 digitised specimens over 56 taxa (mostly species). This dataset only contains the marine species of the collection. The following classes are included: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758, Reptilia Laurenti, 1768.

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Rotifera collection contains 39 digitised specimens over 7 taxa (mostly species). This dataset only contains the marine species of the collection. The following classes are included: Eurotatoria De Ridder, 1957.

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Mollusca collection contains 55526 digitised specimens over 1702 taxa (mostly species). This dataset only contains the marine species of the collection. The following classes are included: Articulata Huxley, 1869, Bivalvia, Bivalvia Linnaeus, 1758, Cephalopoda Cuvier, 1797, Gastropoda Cuvier, 1797, Heliozoa, Hydrozoa Owen, 1843, Insecta Linnaeus, 1758, Malacostraca Latreille, 1802, Maxillopoda Dahl, 1956, Monoplacophora, Polychaeta, Polyplacophora Gray, 1821, Scaphopoda Bronn, 1862.

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Reptilia collection contains 211 digitised specimens over 24 taxa (mostly species). This dataset only contains the marine species of the collection. The following classes are included: Reptilia Laurenti, 1768.

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Crustacea collection contains 30806 digitised specimens over 1411 taxa (mostly species). This dataset only contains the marine species of the collection. The following classes are included: Arachnida, Branchiopoda Latreille, 1817, Clitellata, Gastropoda Cuvier, 1797, Hydrozoa Owen, 1843, Ichthyostraca Zrzavy et al., 1997, Insecta Linnaeus, 1758, Malacostraca Latreille, 1802, Maxillopoda Dahl, 1956, Merostomata, Ostracoda indet., Ostracoda Latreille, 1802, Pycnogonida Latreille, 1810, Secernentea, Sipunculidea.