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Abstract - Quantitative data on marine litter were collected during the MEDITS survey carried out in the Strait of Sicily in 2013. A total of 619 items (66 No./km2) were collected, being Plastic the most common category. A comparison with estimates of marine litter occurrence carried out in 1994, allowed to observe a general increase of pollution by solid waste on the trawlable grounds of the Strait of Sicily.
Key-words: marine litter, trawl surveys, Strait of Sicily.
Introduction - Every year, millions of tons of solid waste are discharged directly or are dragged by currents and waves on the seabed. Many of them are of terrestrial origin or linked to industrial activities, but a large amount of plastic and other waste, more or less biodegradable, originates from discharges of ships including fishing boats (Ryan, 2015). Literature suggests that the sources of pollution can be either very close to the place where debris is discarded, as in the case of heavy waste released into the environment from ships (metal objects, cables, appliances, etc.), or very far from the place of finding, as in the case of plastic bags which can be dispersed over long distances causing degradation of the marine environment even far away from pollution sources (Serena et al., 2011). In recent years marine litter has become a relevant concern around the world and is included among descriptors for evaluating the Good Environmental Status (GES) of the sea in the framework of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (Directive 2008/56/EC). The present study investigates amount, composition and distribution of marine litter on the trawlable bottoms of the Strait of Sicily (GSA 16), an area subject to intense and varied human pressure with relative systemic impacts on coastal and marine environment (Vega Fernández et al., 2012).
Materials and methods - Quantitative data on marine litter were collected during the MEDITS survey carried out in GSA 16 in 2013. A total of 120 stations were sampled. All solid debris present in the catches were collected and classified according to macro-categories and categories, proposed by Fiorentino et al. (2103) and adopted by the MEDITS Protocol (Anonymous, 2013) as "voluntary". The number of items in each category was standardized to 1 km2 (No./km2).
Results - A total of 619...