Launched in a test phase on the eve of the European Maritime Day of 20 May (where it will be demonstrated), the European Atlas of the Seas is a pilot project meant to facilitate the improvement and networking of knowledge. Some maritime policy initiatives – such as the strategy for the Baltic Sea region, the Mediterranean strategy, maritime spatial planning, maritime surveillance and the improvement of knowledge – concern member states and stakeholders first and foremost. However, the European Atlas of the Seas is targeted first and foremost at the general public.

The atlas puts the emphasis on the maritime regions of Europe in their different aspects (environment, transport, economy, population, etc), including the outermost regions. It provides facts and figures on the seas as well as information on maritime policies and activities. These include sea depth and undersea relief names; rivers and their drainage basins; tide amplitude and coastal erosion; sea level rise and marine protected areas; maritime transport and port statistics; population density in coastal zones and employment in the fishing sector; fisheries product consumption; fishing quotas by species; fishing zones; the European fishing fleet’s locations and composition; aquaculture production and much more.

The data in the atlas have been collected from European Commission departments, EU agencies and international organisations. The plan is to update the data every three months. The current test phase will include a public survey to improve the tool based on the observations and needs of users. An online survey will run from May to July 2010.

Further information is available at ec.europa.eu/maritimeatlas