Expert team from the DeFishGear project partner (HCMR from Greece) performed their 1st Marine Litter Monitoring Survey around the island of Corfu. The survey included inspection and quantification of seabed and floating litter, as well as the “fishing for litter activity”.
Even though the weather conditions on the first day of the survey were inconvenient, “fishing for litter” activity resulted in the extremely abundant and diverse fish catch (red mullet, red pandora, picarel, bogue, shrimp, hake and john dory), which was unfortunately accompanied with the various litter items (from food and drink residues like plastic water bottles and cups, drinks and beer cans to hats and gloves) together with derelict fishing gear present in a form of various fishing lines, fishing nets as well as olive and mussel nets.
It is important to highlight that the mathematic model for the Adriatic Sea developed by another DeFishGear project partner (CMCC from Italy) has been applied in this survey. Thus, specific anticyclone gyre, i.e. critical point for the accumulation of floating waste has also been monitored during this survey. Indeed, the low current area with organic sea residues and microplastic accumulation was obvious to the naked eye.
The survey continued 5 more days and included development of video where the seabed was filmed on two different depths (75m and 275m), various fishing nets have been collected and more than 100 starfishes have been identified.
