Within the framework of the INDICIT project, the team based in the Azores archipelago (Portugal) recently published a study characterizing floating macro debris around Madeira and Azores archipelago.
This study is an analysis of data collected by fisheries observers between 2015 and 2017. The results showed that among the 2406 visual transects, 482 floating debris were recorded and were mainly composed of general plastic user items (48%), plastic packaging (21%) and derelict fishing gears (18%). Debris densities were within the ranges reported for other oceanic areas and tended to be more elevated around the Central group of the Azores, where turtles are known to aggregate.
- You can read the publication here:
Distribution and composition of floating macro litter off the Azores archipelago and Madeira (NE Atlantic) using opportunistic surveysÂ