A number of studies have reported in the last decades the presence of plastics in the Southern Ocean, which are liable
to reach the coast and accumulate on the Antarctic Continent. Despite this, there are few data on the amount of plastic pollution
on Antarctic beaches below 60°S. Here we provide valuable information about the presence of plastic debris in Byers Peninsula,
Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) and a hotspot for biodiversity. A total
of 129 locations with between 1 and 5 items were recorded among the 3 survey sites on Byers Peninsula. Most of the observed
items are likely to derive from fishing and local sources such as tourism and research activities. We discuss the potential impacts
of their presence on local fauna and some of the consequences on the Antarctic ecosystem. From this survey of plastic
accumulation in an ASPA, we propose the implementation of mitigation strategies, such as systematic monitoring of the
abundance and distribution of plastic waste, in order to identify trends in marine debris and control the levels of plastic pollution
in the Maritime Antarctic region.This work was supported by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Grant no. CTM2016-79741-R. PA is supported by a FPI-contract fellowship (Grant no. BES-2017 080558) from Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competividad (MINECO)