The Macrobenthic Fauna in the Dutch Sector of the North Sea in 2004 and a comparison with previous data

In this report the results are presented of a macrobenthos survey on the Dutch Continental Shelf (DCS), carried out in 2003. The survey forms part of the 'Biological monitoring programme of marine waters' (MON*BIOLOGIE, generally referred to as 'BIOMON') which was initiated by the National Institute for Coastal and Marine Management (RIKZ). The purpose of the programme is to obtain insight into the year-to-year variations of the macrobenthic assemblages and to detect trend-like changes, that possibly indicate anthropogenic influences on the marine environment (e.g. eutrophication, pollution, beam-trawl fishery).