This dataset compiles and standardises chondrichthyan occurrence data collected between 2003 and 2021 for species known to occur regularly or occasionally in metropolitan French waters. Given the high mobility of these species, records from adjacent areas of the North-East Atlantic and the Western Mediterranean Sea are also included.
The dataset integrates both presence-absence data derived from structured sampling events (e.g., fishing operations, survey transects) and presence-only occurrence records from opportunistic observations. Data originate from three complementary sources: fisheries-dependent data (i.e., the French professional fisheries observer program), scientific surveys (i.e., bottom trawl and acoustic trawl surveys, deep-sea canyon exploration cruises, aerial and vessel-based observation surveys), and citizen initiatives.
All records were harmonised and subjected to reliability assessments based on taxonomic verification and consistency with known species distributions, depth ranges, and biological traits (i.e., individual lengths). Expert review by French taxonomic specialists was also applied for selected species. This dataset underpinned the production of the 'Atlas des chondrichthyens de France métropolitaine' (Bisch et al., 2024). The full methodological framework and quality control procedures are described in detail in an associated data paper (Bisch et al., 2026).
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Sampling event dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/xq94ag accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-10-13.","citationProvidedBySource":false},"contactsCitation":[{"key":7604056,"abbreviatedName":"Bisch A","firstName":"Amaëlle","lastName":"Bisch","roles":["ORIGINATOR","METADATA_AUTHOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2422-2444"]},{"key":7604057,"abbreviatedName":"Stephan P","firstName":"Pauline","lastName":"Stephan","roles":["ORIGINATOR","METADATA_AUTHOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5218-3852"]},{"key":7604058,"abbreviatedName":"Elliott S","firstName":"Sophie","lastName":"Elliott","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":[]},{"key":7604059,"abbreviatedName":"Acou 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A., Stephan, P., Barreau, T., Bousquet, C., Durieux, E., Elliott, S., Mayot, S., Lapinski, M., Rohr, A., Stephan, E., Bouet, M., Santoni, M-C., Dorémus, G., Laliche, C., Paillon, C., Coulon, N., Labourgade, P., Carpentier, A., Delesalle, M. & Acou, A. (2024). Atlas des Chondrichtyens de France métropolitaine - Cartographier la présence et la sensibilité des espèces réglementées dans le cadre du programme de mesures D01-PC-OE01-AN1 (sous-action 1) de la DCSMM cycle 2. Rapport d’expertise de PatriNat et de l’Université de Corse. 385 pp. + annexes. URL: https://mnhn.hal.science/mnhn-04475562","citationProvidedBySource":false},{"text":"Bisch, A., Stephan, P., Elliott, S., Barreau, T., Bousquet, C., Colombet, L., Dorémus, G., Marengo, M., Lapinski, M., Rohr, A., Sichel, F., Stephan, E., Acou, A., 2026. Distribution dataset of chondrichthyan species occurring in French metropolitan waters and across the North-East Atlantic. BDJ 14, e191625. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14.e191625","citationProvidedBySource":false}],"curatorialUnits":[],"taxonomicCoverages":[{"description":"The dataset includes 86 chondrichthyans species (7 holocephali, 79 elasmobranchii) known to occur in French marine metropolitan waters. All the scientific names of the species comply with the TAXREF v18 reference database.","coverages":[{"scientificName":"Chimaeriformes","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Triakidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Gymnuridae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Squalidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Arhynchobatidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Dalatiidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Squatiniformes","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Chlamydoselachidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Alopiidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Squaliformes","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Rhinochimaeridae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Hexanchidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Torpediniformes","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Centrophoridae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Dasyatidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Carcharhinidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Squatinidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Sphyrnidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Rajidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Oxynotidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Torpedinidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Mobulidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Chimaeridae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Etmopteridae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Scyliorhinidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Carcharhiniformes","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Orectolobiformes","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Lamnidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Myliobatidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Somniosidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Cetorhinidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Lamniformes","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Ginglymostomatidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Pseudotriakidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Myliobatiformes","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Pentanchidae","rank":{"verbatim":"family","interpreted":"FAMILY"}},{"scientificName":"Hexanchiformes","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}},{"scientificName":"Rajiformes","rank":{"verbatim":"order","interpreted":"ORDER"}}]}],"geographicCoverages":[{"description":"The dataset covers all or part of the four marine sub-regions defined under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive: Greater North Sea, Celtic Seas, Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast, and Western Mediterranean Sea. The dataset also includes data collected in adjacent areas of the North-East Atlantic.","boundingBox":{"minLatitude":36.0,"maxLatitude":62.33,"minLongitude":-15.99,"maxLongitude":12.0,"globalCoverage":false}}],"temporalCoverages":[{"@type":"range","start":"2003-01-08T00:00:00.000+00:00","end":"2021-12-21T00:00:00.000+00:00"}],"keywordCollections":[{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type_2015-07-10.xml","keywords":["Samplingevent"]},{"thesaurus":"n/a","keywords":["Presence-absence","Citizen science","Fisheries-dependent data","Sharks","Scientific survey data","Western Mediterranean Sea","Chondrichthyans","Skates","Occurrence","Rays","Chimaeras","North-east Atlantic Ocean"]},{"thesaurus":"ISTEX Loterre: https://loterre.istex.fr/","keywords":["Holocephali","Elasmobranchii"]}],"project":{"title":"Mapping the presence and sensitivity of French regulated elasmobranch species within the framework of Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) measures program (D01-PC-OE1-AN1)","contacts":[{"type":"ADMINISTRATIVE_POINT_OF_CONTACT","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5166-0912"],"firstName":"Anthony","lastName":"Acou","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]}],"awards":[],"relatedProjects":[]},"samplingDescription":{"methodSteps":[]},"countryCoverage":[],"collections":[],"dataDescriptions":[],"dataLanguage":"eng","acknowledgements":"We would like to thank the project funder, the French Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion (Directorate for Water and Biodiversity - ELM3). 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