Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage, University Ca' Foscari of Venice, Dorsoduro 3484/d, 30123, Venice, Italy.
Current address: Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185, Rome, Italy.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Aug;30(39):90858-90874. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-28557-y. Epub 2023 Jul 19.
Although the seafloor is an important sink for marine litter, its less accessible environment makes seafloor litter the least studied component. Nevertheless, detailed monitoring of its composition and spatial distribution is urgently needed to develop appropriate mitigation strategies in areas exposed to multiple anthropogenic pressures, such as the Adriatic Sea. Commercial fisheries such as bottom trawls can serve as an opportunistic platform for collecting data on seafloor litter and help researchers in addressing the lack of data through Fishing for Litter initiatives. In this study, the crews of twelve trawlers from two Italian Adriatic ports collected seafloor litter as part of their Fishing for Litter initiatives. In addition to the classical scheme, the collected litter was sorted on board into different bags, and speed, duration and geographical coordinates of each haul were recorded to allow an assessment of both densities and spatial distribution. More than 600 kg of litter was removed from the seafloor by the fishers in approximately 1 month and characterised by the researchers on the docks. Most of the found items were made of synthetic polymers and related to packaging, fisheries and aquaculture activities. Abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear and mussel nets were identified as of particular concern in the maritime compartment of Chioggia and Civitanova Marche, respectively. Three hotspots for marine litter were identified: near the Venice lagoon, in the centre of the northern basin and at greater depth in the central Adriatic. This study provides a detailed picture of the spatial distribution and composition of seafloor litter in the areas studied and highlights the importance of increased cooperation between fishermen and scientists to improve the identification of hotspots and sources while removing marine litter from the seafloor and raising awareness of the problem.
虽然海底是海洋垃圾的一个重要汇，但由于其环境难以到达，海底垃圾是研究最少的部分。然而，迫切需要详细监测其组成和空间分布，以便在面临多种人为压力的地区制定适当的缓解策略，如亚得里亚海。商业渔业，如底拖网，可以作为收集海底垃圾数据的机会平台，并通过“捞垃圾”倡议帮助研究人员解决数据缺乏的问题。在这项研究中，来自两个意大利亚得里亚海港口的 12 艘拖网渔船的船员作为他们“捞垃圾”倡议的一部分收集海底垃圾。除了经典的方案外，收集的垃圾在船上按不同的袋子进行分类，并记录了每个拖网的速度、持续时间和地理位置坐标，以便评估密度和空间分布。渔民在大约一个月的时间内从海底清除了超过 600 公斤的垃圾，并由码头的研究人员对其进行了描述。大多数发现的物品都是由合成聚合物制成的，与包装、渔业和水产养殖活动有关。废弃、丢失或丢弃的渔具和贻贝网被认为是基奥贾和奇维塔诺瓦马尔凯的海洋部门特别关注的问题。确定了三个海洋垃圾热点地区：威尼斯泻湖附近、北部盆地中心和亚得里亚海中部较深地区。这项研究提供了研究区域海底垃圾空间分布和组成的详细情况，并强调了渔民和科学家之间加强合作的重要性，以改善对热点和来源的识别，同时从海底清除海洋垃圾并提高对问题的认识。
