Fisheries closure

General Information

North Sea

Baltic Sea

Clyde Marine Region

Adriatic Sea

Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Fisheries Closure

Layer Info
Category	Ecology
Sub-category	Fishing

Description

Fishing activities may be restricted from operating in certain areas to preserve the fishing stocks, protect sensible or declining species or even habitats. The fisheries closure layer shows where fishing is not allowed for one or more fleets.

MSP Challenge

This is a static but editable layer, the ecosystem simulation will take into account the areas where fisheries are not allowed. If the fisheries closure is not specific to a fishing fleet, all fishing fleets will be considered banned from the area.

Fisheries closures will affect the ecosystem simulation by communicating to the respective EwE models that none of the fleets are allowed to fish in these areas.

Return to protected areas

Return to fishing.

In the basic North Sea Edition the fisheries closure had no data and was only for editing purposes, the same function can be found under Marine Protected Areas where users can choose the fleets that are not allowed to operate in the area.

Digital Twin Edition

This layer was moved to Marine Protected Areas in 05/2025.

Sand Extraction Edition | Shrimp Closure

In the Sand Extraction Edition of the MSP Challenge, the fisheries closure layer is called Shrimp Closure, and represent the areas closed to fishing for shrimp.

Types

Not applicable.

Metadata

Data Source

Rijkswaterstaat

Original Title

"noordzeekustvisserijakkoord_2017_vibeg2"

Description

Not available.

Creation Date

Not available.

Methodology

Not available.

In the Baltic Sea there are two fisheries closure data layers, one for all fleets and another one for cod.

Types

Not applicable.

Metadata

Data Source

Both layers adapted from EC, HELCOM, retrieved from HELCOM in 2017.

Original Title

Baltic Sea fisheries closure and Cod fisheries closures

Description

Baltic Sea fisheries summary (more info on metadata page)

"The area closed for fishing has been drawn according to EC Council Regulation No 2187/2005 of 21 December 2005 for the conservation of fishery resources through technical measures in the Baltic Sea, the Belts and the Sound."

Cod fisheries closures summary (more info on metadata page)

"EC Council Regulation (EC) No 1098/2007 of 18 September 2007 establishing a multiannual plan for the cod stocks in the Baltic Sea and the fisheries exploiting those stocks (amending Regulation (EEC) No 2847/93 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 779/97)."

Creation Date

Revision date for Baltic Sea fisheries: 2008-01-01

Creation date for Cod fisheries closures: 2013-02-13

Methodology

Implemented as retrieved.

Western Baltic Sea

The Fisheries Closure layer in the Western Baltic Sea Edition remains consistent with that featured in the Baltic Sea edition.

Not applicable.

This data layer is not available in the Clyde Marine Region Edition.

Not applicable.

This data layer is not available in the Adriatic Sea Edition.

Not applicable.

This layer is not present in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.