Lewis Wave Power Ltd. (LWP) (a wholly owned subsidiary of Aquamarine Power Ltd.) was seeking to develop a wave energy demonstration array off the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. As a first stage of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project, LWP commissioned Royal Haskoning Ltd. to produce an Environmental Scoping Report (Lewis Wave Power Ltd., 2011) to facilitate the identification and assessment of the potential environmental impacts associated with the project. The survey reported on here formed this field-based benthic component. Its purpose was to provide site-specific benthic data to inform an assessment of impact of the proposed development. The key objectives were to: Determine the distribution and abundance of marine habitats and communities within the study areas; Determine the substrate type at all locations sampled and Identify habitats or species of conservation importance.

This dataset assembles historical information existing in public and private documentary archives. Taken together, these data contribute to the building of a knowledge base of the historical presence, extent and biogenic formations of European flat oyster ecosystems prior to and during the intensification of bottom fishing activities. To identify and recover such information requires significant resources and expertise. The establishment of a Historical Ecology Working Group under the umbrella of the Native Oyster Restoration Alliance in early 2020 presented a unique opportunity to coalesce interdisciplinary expertise and resources from multiple European countries to collate and interrogate historical data sources. To date, this is the only known dataset that evidences the past distribution, extent and characteristics of this seabed ecosystem across its full biogeographic range. The described datasets present qualitative and quantitative extracts from written records published between 1524-2022, which show: (1) estimated locations of past oyster fisheries and/or reef habitat across its full biogeographical range, with associated levels of confidence; (2) recorded extent of past reef habitats, and; (3) species associated with these habitats. This comprehensive historical analysis demonstrates that oyster reefs were once a dominant three-dimensional feature along much of the European coastline and some shallow shelf seas.

The dataset provides full-coverage maps of the habitats and biotopes in the German Baltic Sea at a resolution of 1 x 1 km for the entire region and at 50 x 50 m resolution in specific areas. We combined geological and biological surveys to map the seabed and collected extensive data to classify different habitats and their associated benthic communities. Using newly established national guidelines and predictive habitat modelling, we produced highly accurate maps. The maps show Broad and Other Habitat Types (including Habitats Directive Annex I habitat types) according to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) as well as HELCOM HUB biotope types. Detailed documentation is available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13010006