The Belgian MSFD monitoring programme ‘Biodiversity – Birds’ aims at assessing the following ETs: • ET1 : Changes in breeding seabird abundance remain within target limits for 75% of the species monitored; • ET2: The 5 year running mean species density is not below the long-term mean annual population size for 5 consecutive years for minimally half of the non-scavenging seabird species; • ET3: The 5 year running mean species density is not above the long-term mean annual population size for 5 consecutive years for minimally two of the scavenging seabird species; • ET4: For each of the scavenging seabirds species, are the mean densities over 5 consecutive years not below the minimum defined by the Birds Directive favourable conservation status Two sub-programmes can be discerned: • ANSBE-D1, 4 Birds-SP1 (delivering data to assess ET1), targeting the number of nesting gulls and terns in the port of Zeebrugge and other coastal breeding sites; • ANSBE-D1, 4 Birds-SP2 (delivering data to assess ET2 to 4), targeting ship-based seabird counts covering the Eastern part of the Belgian North Sea with at least 1 count per month

The Belgian MSFD monitoring programme ‘Biodiversity - Fish and cephalopods’ aims at assessing the following ET: • ET 6: Positive trend in the number of individuals of thornback ray Raja clavata One sub-programmes can be discerned: • ANSBE- D1,4 Fish-SP3 (delivering data to assess ET6), targeting the quantification of the number of thornback rays through the BTS and the DYFS surveys

The Belgian MSFD monitoring programme ‘Biodiversity - mammals and reptiles’ aims at assessing the following ET: • ET 5: The yearly number of incidentally bycaught harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena is less than 1,7 % of the best estimate of the population size One sub-programmes can be discerned: • ANSBE-D1, 4 Mammals-SP4 (delivering data to assess ET5), targeting different data sources to estimate the rate of incidentally caught harbour porpoises in Belgium vs. the average population size in Belgian waters.

The Belgian MSFD monitoring programme ‘Biodiversity - seabed habitats’ aims at assessing the following ETs: • ET7 : The spatial extent and distribution of the EUNIS level 3 habitats (sandy mud to mud, muddy sands to sands and coarse grained sediments), as well as that of gravel beds fluctuate - relative to the reference state as described in Initial Assessment - within a margin limited to the accuracy of the current distribution maps • ET10: The Ecological Quality Ratio as determined by BEQI, indicative for benthic ecosystem structure and quality, has a minimum value of 0,60 in each of the habitat types • ET11: Positive trend in median adult density (or frequency of occurrence) of at least one species within the long-lived and/or slowly reproducing and key engineering benthic species groups in both mud to muddy sands and pure fine to coarse sands • ET12: Spring median benthic bioturbation potential (BPc) in the Abra alba habitat type is higher than 100 • ET13: Positive trend in median colony/body size of the sessile, long-lived and/or larger benthic species Buccinum undatum, Mytilus edulis, Flustra foliacea, Haliclona oculata and Alcyonium digitatum • ET14 – Positive trend in frequency of occurrence and median adult density of at least half of the key and long-lived species Ostrea edulis, Sabellaria spinulosa, Mytilus edulis, Buccinum undatum, Haliclona oculata, Alcyonium digitatum and Alcyonidium spp • ET15 – No loss or positive trend in species richness within all key hard substrate taxa, i.e. Porifera, Cnidaria, Bryozoa, Polychaeta, Malacostraca, Maxillopoda, Gastropoda, Bivalvia, Echinodermata and Ascidiacea • ET16 – Decreasing relative frequency of occurrence of damaged Asterias rubens (2+ cm arm length) and tube clusters of Pomatoceros triqueter, indicative for physical disturbance of the bottom (= pressure indicator), as to enhance natural development of the gravel bed ecosystem (= desired state) • ET17: For each of the scavenging seabirds species, are the mean densities over 5 consecutive years not below the minimum defined by the Birds Directive favourable conservation status Six sub-programmes can be discerned: • ANSBE-D1, 4, 6 Seabed-SP5 (delivering data to assess ET7), targeting a full-coverage seabed and transect seabed mapping of selected areas at EUNIS level 3; • ANSBE-D1, 4, 6 Seabed-SP6 (delivering data to assess ET10), targeting the quantification of a composite index based on density, biomass, species richness and species composition of the macrobenthos at selected stations in the BPNS; • ANSBE-D1, 4, 6 Seabed-SP7 (delivering data to assess ET11), targeting the quantification of long-lived and key engineering benthic species density at selected stations in the BPNS; • ANSBE-D1, 4, 6 Seabed-SP8 (delivering data to assess ET12), targeting the quantification of the macrobenthic community bioturbation potential at selected stations in the BPNS; • ANSBE-D1, 4, 6 Seabed-SP9 (delivering data to assess ET13 to 16), targeting body/colony size of characteristic hard substrate species, frequency of occurrence and densities in a non-bottom fisheries-impacted, a low impacted and regular fisheries-impacted area; • ANSBE-D1, 4, 6 Seabed-SP10 (delivering data to assess ET17), targeting multibeam bathymetry and backscatter measurements in combination with visual observations and seabed sampling in a gravel bed in the Hinder Banks region and a gravel bed in the Flemish Banks region