Surface abrasion of seabeds by bottom contacting fishing gears - Mediterranean Sea (surface Swept Area Ratio)

Data on physical impact intensity caused by trawling (bottom otter trawl, twin bottom otter trawl, dredges) estimated from VMS (Vessel Monitoring System) data cross-referenced with the Community Fishing Fleet Register and, for French vessels, with the landing data between 2008 and 2020. The data is constituted of 14 rasters in a resolution of 1’x1’ (13 annual abrasion rasters between 2008 and 2020 and 1 raster representing the 90th percentile of inter-annual abrasion). The abrasion is expressed in swept area ratio per year for each layer. This work enabled the study of the trawling impact on benthic communities in the Gulf of Lions and Corsica. The objective was to better describe the spatial and temporal repartition of trawling in this area and its potential impact on benthic habitats.