The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) has released a paper summarising 25 years of research into marine litter on the seafloor across Northern Europe.
The research, spanning the period from 1992 to 2017, has revealed changes in what makes up plastic litter in the marine environment over time, with a decrease in the amount of plastic bags on the UK’s seabed. However there has been an increase in the amount of other plastic items including debris from fishing which has meant that the overall amount of litter has been maintained not reduced. Nonetheless, the reduction in plastic bags may suggest that action can be taken to reduce marine litter.
To view the paper follow this link.