Guidance for the sampling, identification and recording of marine litter

FAO

Guidance for the sampling, identification and recording of marine litter

Marine Litter Protocol and Identification Guide

Year of publication 2024

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 28 p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Booklet

Full item page

To cite or share https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1539en

Synopsis (short abstract) Marine litter, especially marine plastic litter, is becoming more abundant in the ocean, and is having an increasing impact on human health, livelihoods and the environment. To reduce the amount of litter entering the ocean, and reduce the social, economic and environmental impact, society will need to adopt measures to reduce the generation of waste and improve waste management. Providing evidence of the distribution and abundance of marine litter, the location of litter ‘hotspots’, and the proportion of the various categories of litter, will help in the design and implementation of management measures to reduce the leakage of litter to the ocean.These guidelines have been developed for use by researchers in EAF-Nansen Programme Partner Countries to assist them in sampling, identifying and recording marine litter, to a consistent standard.

Cite this content as:

FAO. 2024. Guidance for the sampling, identification and recording of marine litter – Marine Litter Protocol and Identification Guide. Rome.

https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1539en

Language English

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
Marine litter - Assessing the distribution and impact of marine litter in Africa and the Bay of Bengal
An initiative of the EAF-NANSEN Programme
2024

Also available in:

French

Urgent action is needed to reduce the leakage of plastics to the ocean. To do this we need more information on the quantities and types of litter that have leaked, especially from regions and countries where data are scarce or lacking. With more knowledge, we will also be able to estimate the risk to local fishing communities in terms of social health well-being and economic resilience. In addition, we will be better placed to assess the impact of litter on key maritime sectors, such as fisheries, as well as on key environmental indicators such as breeding grounds and sensitive habits. The EAF-Nansen Programme has been running two studies on marine litter. The first study involved the recording of the litter retrieved in the demersal trawl, during surveys with the research vessel (R/V) Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, in the period 2011–2023. The second study examined the impact of marine litter on the beach seine fishery of four countries in the Gulf of Guinea. The EAF-Nansen Programme is a longstanding partnership between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Norway, dating back to 1975. It is executed by FAO in close collaboration with the Institute of Marine Research in Norway (IMR), and funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).
Book (series)

EAF-Nansen Programme’s work on marine litter and microplastics
Summary of achievements 2019–2023
2025

Also available in:

No results found.

Marine litter is a global problem and has increased substantially in recent years. This report provides a summary of the results achieved by the EAF-Nansen Programme as part of its Science Plan, through additional funding received under an addendum, on the occurrence and impacts of marine litter and microplastics in the Gulf of Guinea. Three areas of work were identified, which allowed to improve the understanding of the presence of microplastics in marine ecosystems, generate knowledge on the occurrence of marine debris through the use of the research vessel Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, enhance the capacity of the countries involved and provide scientific foundations for appropriate action at various levels. An improved sampling protocol for marine debris was developed and successfully tested.There has been a perception in the Gulf of Guinea region that the presence of marine litter could have an adverse effect on the beach seine fishery. A study was conducted in four countries, namely Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo, to gather sociodemographic, fisheries and environmental data to record the impact of marine litter on the fishing communities. A separate report on the study is available. The results of the study are expected to inform local, national and regional management actions to devise actions to reduce the impact of litter in fishery.
Book (series)

Guide FAO d'identification des espèces pour les besoins de la pêche. Guide d'identification des ressources marines vivantes du Maroc.Rome, FAO. 1998. 263p., 28 planches en couleur. 1998

Also available in:

No results found.

Le présent guide des ressources marines vivantes du Maroc comprend les espèces marines et d’eaux saumâtres (lamproies, requins, poissons batoïdes, poissons osseux, cirripèdes, stomatopodes, crevettes, homards, langoustes, langoustines, cigales, crabes, bivalves, gastéropodes, céphalopodes, tortues et mammifères marins) de l’Atlantique et de la Méditerranée. Sa préparation est justifiée par les besoins en matière de gestion des ressources et des pêcheries: en outre, le statut d’espèces protégées accordé à certaines d’entre-elles souligne l’importance de pouvoir disposer d’une identification précise des ressources marines vivantes concernées. Chaque groupe principal fait l’objet d’une introduction sous la forme d’une section de termes techniques généraux utilisés, suivie d’une liste annotée avec des illustrations des espèces les plus importantes, leurs noms (FAO, français, espagnol et anglais), les tailles rencontrées, les méthodes de capture et leurs habitats. Les gr oupes majeurs tels que “Requins”, “ Poissons batoïdes” et “Poissons osseux” sont précédés d’un guide illustré des différents Ordres et Familles afin de simplifier l’identification des espèces. Un index des principales publications, des noms des familles et des espèces concernées (noms scientifiques et communs) est également fourni.