Artisanal trawl fisheries as a sentinel of marine litter pollution

Systematic seafloor surveys are a highly desirable method of marine litter monitoring, but the high costs involved in seafloor sampling are not a trivial handicap. In the present work, we explore the opportunity provided by the artisanal trawling fisheries to obtain systematic data on marine litter in the Gulf of Cadiz between 2019 and 2021. We find that plastic was the most frequent material, with a prevalence of single-use and fishing-related items. Litter densities decreased with increasing distance to shore with a seasonal migration of the main litter hotspots. During pre-lockdown and post-lockdown stages derived from COVID-19, marine litter density decreased by 65 %, likely related to the decline in tourism and outdoor recreational activities. A continuous collaboration of 33 % of the local fleet would imply a removal of hundreds of thousands of items each year. The artisanal trawl fishing sector can play a unique role of monitoring marine litter on the seabe

Unravelling spatio-temporal patterns of suspended microplastic concentration in the Natura 2000 Guadalquivir estuary (SW Spain): Observations and model simulations

This research is funded by Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (AEI/FEDER/UE) through the projects CTM201677106-R and CTM2017-89531-R. Guadalquivir-LTER project was supported by IFAPA Research Projects PP.FEM.PPA201700.5 and PP.FEM. PP201900.5, 75% cofounded by European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (2014-2022), within the Spanish Operational Program "Fisheries and Maritime 2014-2020". MB and DGF acknowledge funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie, grant agreements 754446 (UGR Research and Knowledge Transfer Fund -Athenea3i) and 846843 (LitRivus), respectively. University of Granada/CBUA provided the funding for open access charges. Finally, the authors would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers and Editor for their valuable comments and suggestions.Microplastics (MPs) patterns in a weakly-stratified estuary were investigated using a combined approach of observations and modeling. The study was conducted in the Guadalquivir River Estuary, which is of high environmental value, yet significantly altered by human activities. The study aims to contribute to understanding and quantifying the land-ocean transport of MPs. Mean concentrations of MPs in the estuary were 0.041 items m(-3), with maximum values up to 0.20 items m(- 3), in agreement with the range reported in other estuaries. Polyethylene floating MPs were predominant. Relationships between increases in MP concentration and local rainfall events were identified in the middle estuary when there were no significant discharges from the head dam. Modeling results mimicked observations and revealed the effects of tidal straining, density-driven, and river flow-induced circulation on the net transport. Convergence of transports favors the MPs trapping in the vicinity of Don tilde ana National Park, overlapping the location of the Estuarine Turbidity Maximum.Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (AEI/FEDER/UE) CTM201677106-R CTM2017-89531-RIFAPA Research Projects PP.FEM.PPA201700.5 PP.FEM. PP201900.5European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme 754446 846843University of Granada/CBU