Knowledge measures

Standardise monitoring protocols and characterization of marine litter derived from aquaculture facilities at a national level

Data quantification on marine debris Data quantification on marine debris

Original photo: Nick Sarvari Original photo: Nick Sarvari

Relevant type of aquaculture:

Fish Shellfish Seaweed

Relevant sea basin:

Mediterranean

Relevant stage:

Monitoring and quantification

Related Barriers:

  • The current monitoring performed and promoted by the government is not efficient enough in Spain.

  • There is a lack of standardised criteria for environmental monitoring systems (e.g. in Spain each Autonomous Community deals with their own regulation).

  • There is a lack of knowledge to identify aquaculture items in marine litter collections.

  • There is a lack of monitoring systems for marine litter and for non-organic marine litter from aquaculture activities specifically.

  • There is a lack of specific data related to material losses from aquaculture activities.

  • There is a lack of specific information on the impact of marine litter from the aquaculture sector to showcase the problem.

  • The standardised forms used at a European level to collect information about the floating marine litter and the debris located on the seafloor are not complete or updated as they lack item categories that are frequently found in the Mediterranean Sea.

Related Good Practice:

M&Q GP4.1

The Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) is involved in the marine litter monitoring

Spanish MITECO is involved in the marine litter monitoring through two departments. Firstly, the Directorate for the Coast and the Sea has been involved in the monitoring of the marine litter on beaches for more than 12 years. Currently (2020), there are 26 beaches included in the monitoring scheme, which is performed by the MITECO technicians by following a protocol and filling in a form in which the found items are characterised by material (plastic, metal, wood, fabrics, rubber, paper and glass) and, in some cases, by litter source. Secondly, the Deputy Directorate for Waste Prevention and Management is working on the development of a protocol (that, ideally, should be harmonised with the protocol used for beaches monitoring) specific for waste monitoring on land; currently, any specific item regarding the aquaculture activities is included in the official form.