<?xml version="1.0"?>
<oai_dc:dc xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:title xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">Select marine epifauna abundance and taxonomic data collected in the UK continental shelf and wider North Sea between 1987 and 2023</dc:title>
  <dc:type xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">dataset</dc:type>
  <dc:identifier xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">https://portal.medin.org.uk/portal/start.php?tpc=009_CEFAS4f6bea1a-5de8-4347-a4fa-9375bc5b0bf0</dc:identifier>
  <dc:description xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">This dataset contains records of marine epifaunal communities collected using 
2 metre (m) beam trawl surveys between 1987 and 2023 from across the United 
Kingdom (UK) continental shelf and the wider North Sea. The dataset takes the 
form of trawl-derived abundance and taxonomic information, harmonised through 
the OneBenthic database and standardised using the World Register of Marine 
Species (`WoRMS`_). It was compiled to support large-scale analysis of 
spatial patterns in epifaunal taxon richness, abundance, and assemblage 
composition, with the aim of informing marine spatial planning, licensing, and 
conservation management. Users should note that the dataset excludes pelagic 
taxa, larval stages, and areas licensed for anthropogenic activities such as 
dredging and renewable energy.


.. _`worms`:
 https://www.marinespecies.org/</dc:description>
  <dc:date xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">20251128 20250901</dc:date>
</oai_dc:dc>