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The OSPAR Marine

Litter Regional

Action Plan:

Coordinating action to

address marine litter in

the North-East Atlantic

John Mouat Deputy Secretary

OSPAR Commission Photo: F.Kirckhof

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OSPAR Commission

16 Contracting Parties

• Belgium

• Denmark

• Finland

• France

• Germany

• Iceland

• Ireland

• Luxembourg

• The Netherlands

• Norway

• Portugal

• Spain

• Sweden

• Switzerland

• The United Kingdom

• European Union

OSPAR Maritime Area and Regions:

Region I: Arctic Waters

Region II: Greater North Sea

Region III: Celtic Seas

Region IV: Bay of Biscay/Iberian Coast

Region V: Wider Atlantic

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We note that quantities of litter in many areas of the

North-East Atlantic are unacceptable, and therefore

we will continue to develop reduction measures and

targets, taking into consideration an ambitious

target resulting in a reduction in 2020

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0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

All beach litter items 2013

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Impact on the Marine Environment

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Entanglement

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Ingestion

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Impact on Threaten and/or Declining

Species

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Microplastics

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Socioeconomic Impacts

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The North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy

“develop appropriate programmes and measures to reduce amounts of litter in the marine environment and to stop litter entering the marine environment, both from sea-based and land-based sources”

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Timeline of the Regional Action Plan

• International Conference on

Prevention and

Management of Marine

Litter in European Seas,

2013

• Adopted OSPAR 2014

• Fully Implemented by 2021

• Reviewed and updated

based on OSPAR Quality

Status Report 2021

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Actions to be

implemented

• OSPAR common actions

• OSPAR to raise with other

competent bodies

• National Actions

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OSPAR Actions

• Sea-Based

• Land-based

• Removal

• Education and outreach

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Key Issues

• Port Reception Facilities

• Waste from Fishing

industry

• Fines for littering at sea

• Fishing for Litter

• Abandoned and lost

Fishing gear

• Floating Litter hotspots

• Improved waste

management

• Sewage/storm water run-off

• Reduction of single use

items

• Removal of micro plastics

from products/zero pellet

loss

• Redesign of harmful

products

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Fisheries Actions

• Through a multinational project, together with the

fishing industry and competent authorities develop

and promote best practice in relation to marine litter.

All relevant aspects (including e.g. dolly rope , waste

management on board, waste management at

harbours and operational losses/net cuttings) should

be included.

• Identify the options to address key waste items from

the fishing industry and aquaculture including

deposit schemes, voluntary agreements and

extended producer responsibility.

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Sewage/Storm Water

Investigate and promote with

appropriate industries the use

of Best Available Techniques

(BAT) and Best Environmental

Practice (BEP) to develop

sustainable and cost-effective

solutions to reduce and prevent

sewage and storm water

related waste entering the

marine environment, including

micro particles.

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Reduce the consumption

of single use plastic

bags and their presence

in the marine

environment, supported

by the development of

quantifiable (sub)

regional targets, where

appropriate, and assist

in the development of

relevant EU initiatives.

Single Use Items

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Elimination or adaption of harmful products

Evaluate all products

and processes that

include primary micro

plastics and act, if

appropriate, to reduce

their impact on the

marine environment.

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Removal Actions

Strengthen the existing

OSPAR Recommendation

2010/19 fishing for litter

initiatives:

• Including by reviewing the

option that any vessel

involved in the scheme can

land non-operational waste

at participating harbours in

OSPAR countries.

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Actions outside OSPARs remit

• Communicate the need

for action

• Cooperate through MOU’s

• OSPAR CP’s that have

membership in both

organisations act as

advocates

• Joint proposals

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National Land-based Actions

• Ensuring actions in this plan

are integrated, as appropriate,

into the implementation and

any future revision of relevant

EU Directives

• Including a reference to marine

litter in National Waste

Prevention Plans and Waste

Management Plans

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Outreach

• Encourage participation in International, EU and

National Litter Clean up Campaigns.

• Promoting the “Adopt a beach” system.

• Supporting/initiating community/business-based

producer responsibility schemes or deposit systems,

for example on recycling fishing nets.

• Developing collective agreements between Contracting

Parties, NGOs and industry to tackle particular

problems of marine litter.

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Targets

Action 29: Develop operational and/or reduction targets

• Implementation targets (already included in RAP)

– e.g. Action x to be implemented by 2016

• Operational targets (to be developed)

– e.g. x% of fishing vessels involved in fishing for litter initiatives

• Reduction targets (to be developed)

– e.g. x% reduction in the number of plastic bags in the marine

environment based on beach litter monitoring

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Monitoring

• Common OSPAR wide

indicators: Beach and

Seabed litter

• Common North Sea

indicator: Plastic particles

in seabirds stomachs

• Indicators in development;

plastic particles in fish

stomachs, Plastic in turtles

stomachs and

microplastics

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Up to 80% of marine litter comes from land

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Conclusions

• Need to more clearly identify pathways where land

based litter enters the marine environment

• Placing particular emphasis on items which can cause

harm in the marine environment

• Need to collaborate on monitoring litter pathways

• Need to develop complementary actions covering the

both the terrestrial and marine environment

• Ultimately the actions required are the same for both

marine and terrestrial litter

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Questions?