- Marine Litter - Technical Recommendations for the Implementation of MSFD Requirements (EUR 25009EN), 2011

- Guidance on Monitoring of Marine Litter in European Seas(EUR 26113EN), 2013

- Reports on sources, riverine inputs and harm in progress (2014)

Technical expert group within the MSFD CIS process supporting the implementation of MSFD Descriptor 10 by Member States:

1. Developing common monitoring tools and protocols.

2. Facilitating/harmonizing the implementation of monitoring programmes.

3. Evaluating harm, sources and costs of applied monitoring.

MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter D 10

Result documents

� General Approaches & Strategies for Marine LitterMonitoring : key aspects related to MSFD requirements,

� Beach Litter (10.1.1)

� Floating Litter (10.1.2)

� Seafloor Litter (10.1.2);

� Litter in Biota : guidance to monitoring litter ingested by

marine organisms (10.2.1) and other impacts

� Microlitter : guidance to monitoring microlitter (10.1.3);

� Litter categories: guidance on categorization of litter for

a harmonised, comparable approach.

Recommendation 1:The core purpose of coordinated monitoring programmesis the "on-going assessment of the environmental status" and related environmental targets

Recommendation 2:The monitoring programmes have to be coordinated, compatible, coherent, consistent and comparable.

Recommendation 3:Build upon and integrate already established monitoring programmes already established

Recommendation 4: Data and information from the monitoring programmes,should be made available for interoperable use.

Recommendation 5: Monitoring programmes need to adapt to changes in themarine environment.

Recommendation 6:Linking monitoring to assessment needs as a basis for flexible monitoring design.

Recommendation 7:Taking into account the differences in scientific understanding for each descriptor and applying the precautionary principle.

A precise context

Actual costs of different protocols

Beach litter monitoring is a well-developed monitoring tool.

Further development of this protocol includes the

development of a standard statistical analyses method and a

refined method for the identification sources.

INDICATOR 10.1.1: BEACH - VISUAL

The protocol developed by the TSG-ML provides comparability by use of a

common approach and harmonized categories for reporting.

INDICATOR 10.1.2: FLOATING - VISUAL

• Monitoring Marine Litter suspended in the middle water column is not

recommended

• Monitored size categories should include a range covering relevant small

items

• Monitoring of floating litter should follow a specific protocol agreed on

EU scale

INDICATOR 10.1.2: SEA FLOOR

• Consider opportunities to couple monitoring efforts at larger regional scale

( MEDITS) or locally with other regular surveys for shallow waters

(monitoring in marine reserves, platforms, etc.).

• Ultra deep sea monitoring must be opportunistic only

INDICATOR 10.1.2: SEA FLOOR , 20-800 m , The MEDITS PROTOCOL

- Trawling conducted within the Data Collection Framework (DCF).

- Last version (7) of the protocol is incorporating a common protocolfor the voluntary collection of data on marine litters,in agreements with the requirements of the MSFD

0400E 0500E

4300N

1994 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

1995 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

1996 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

1997 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

1998 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

1999 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

2000 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

2001 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

2002 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

2003 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

2004 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

2005 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

2006 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

2008 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

0400E 0500E

4300N

2009 TOTAL

200m

500m0

3

5Rhone

MEDITS program, Mediterranean sea, 1994 - 2009

A range of methods are available for sampling both the the water column and

sediments, but there is a need for optimization and intercalibration. The TSG-ML

considers there to be sufficient reliable approaches to initiate monitoring

A possible challenge in monitoring of time trends of microparticles

INDICATOR 10.1.3: MICROPARTICLES

Biota-Birds (ingestion) (Atlantic only):

Biota-Turtles (ingestion): The turtle protocol has recently been

developed, based on the protocol for fulmars. As for the Birds-protocol, its

use depends on the distribution of the species considered An EcoQO is

under development ( France and Italy).

Biota-Fish (ingestion): Under research. The TSG-ML has decided to

recommend a general protocol for application to measure trends and

regional differences, in ingested litter in benthic and pelagic fish.

Biota-plastic litter in nests and entanglement ( Under test): A

protocol for application was recently developed for the use of marine litter

(especially plastic) by birds as building material for their nests.

Biota-Entanglement: recording of entangled birds and marine mammals,

during beached animals monitoring programmes. (requires further

development )

INDICATOR 10.2.1: LITTER IN BIOTA

Proposed Master List

The Master List includes a detailed list of items with a series of parameters:

- “General Code” is a unique alphanumeric code attributed by the TSG-ML ,

- “General Name” is a short description of the item,

- “Materials” is (main) material the items are made of.

- “Source” if identifiable.

- “Pathway - General use of the item” provides information on the activities in

which items aremost probably used and possible pathways of entry into the

marine environment.,

- “Source groupings” - sensible groupings of items, which will give the sum of

items from a given source etc. (e.g. smoking related).

- “Potential threat” of the item to the marine environment e.g. entanglement,

ingestion, smothering of marine habitat.

CATEGORIES

- The Master List is derived from a series of programmes

(UNEP, OSPAR, MCS, Slovenia, ICC., HELMEPA, NOAA, ECOOCEAN,

Hinojosa/Thiel (2009), OSPAR/ICES list (IBTS), MEDITS and CEFAS)

- The final Master List consists of a set of over 200 items

- The Master List includes a list of core items – which occur in

all regions (e.g. cigarette ends, plastic bottles) and regionally

specific items (e.g. octopus pots),

- The Master List includes also corresponding codes of OSPAR

and UNEP, when applicable, to allow comparisons with data from

these programmes.

- The Master list is the same for all indicators, facilitating a

common template for reporting/ data management