This dataset contains an inventory of bentho-demersal fauna captured by bottom trawling in Corsica and in the north of Sardinia. There are also counts, measurements of weight, length and sexe determination of individuals. This exploratory bottom trawl survey aimed at evaluating the fishing possibilities in the region. Unfortunatly the exact location of each station could not be recovered. According to the institute 1964 activity report, this survey carried out in November and December 1963 enabled to locate trawlable areas in deep waters off Eastern Corsica, in particular off Bastia, Aleria and Solenzara. It also permitted to locate high yield deep shrimps’ areas off the coasts of Sardinia, in particular the south coast between the capes Spartivento and Sperone, the west coast between the cape Sperone and the gulf d’Oristano and between the capes Mannu and Argenteria and the north-east coast off cape Ferro. Important Note: This submission has been initially submitted to SEA scieNtific Open data Edition (SEANOE) publication service and received the recorded DOI. The metadata elements have been further processed (refined) in EMODnet Ingestion Service in order to conform with the Data Submission Service specifications.

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.