Are the seafloors of marine protected areas sinks for marine litter? Composition and spatial distribution in Cabrera National Park

Abstract

[eng] The seafloors of oceans and seas are becoming major sinks for marine litter (ML) at a global scale and especially within</em></p><p><em>the Mediterranean Sea. Within global oceans and seas, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established to</em></p><p><em>protect and conserve marine habitats and increase marine biodiversity. In this study, extensive coastal shallow</em></p><p><em>scuba diving surveys were conducted in 2019 and 2020 to identify the distribution of ML in the MPA of Cabrera</em></p><p><em>Marine-Terrestrial National Park (Cabrera MPA) in the Balearic Islands. Approximately 900 items weighing 70.1 kg</em></p><p><em>were collected throughout the MPA during the underwater surveys. Glass bottles, including pieces (25–30%) and</em></p><p><em>glass or ceramic fragments >2.5 cm (8–19%) were the most common identified items followed by plastic food containers</em></p><p><em>and plastic bags (~8%). Overall, 75% of the abundance of collected ML was observed during the first year.</em></p><p><em>In terms of the protection status of the different locations, similar abundances of ML were found in public access</em></p><p><em>areas and no-take areas. Additionally, no significant differences were identified according to location indicating that</em></p><p><em>ML on the seafloor was homogeneous within the studied shallow coastal areas. Overall, the results indicate that</em></p><p><em>Cabrera MPA is a hotspot for ML and mitigation actions and measures, such as annual cleaning efforts, can help to prevent</em></p><p><em>and minimize ML accumulation on the seafloor.</em></p>