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Monitoring the movement of plastic into marine food webs is central to understanding and mitigating the plastic pollution crisis. Bioindicators have been a component of the environmental monitoring toolkit for decades, but how, where, and which bioindicators are used in long-term monitoring programs has not yet been assessed. Moreover, these programs have yet to be synthesized and evaluated globally. Doing so is imperative if we are to learn from these pioneering programs and expand on their efforts. We reviewed global monitoring programs using bioindicators that focus on plastic pollution and found 11 worldwide that met our definition of long-term monitoring. Limited data availability and few programs in the Global South hinder progress on tracking global trends. Most commonly, long-term programs either tracked macroplastics with opportunistic sampling of large vertebrates or monitored microplastics with targeted sampling of invertebrates. These long-term bioindicators could be incorporated as essential ocean variables in the global ocean observing system, and thus provide critical insights into the trajectory and effects of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems. However, to enhance the effectiveness and inclusivity of these monitoring efforts, there is a pressing need for the implementation of harmonized and standardized methods, increased collaboration between regions, and greater support for data sharing and open science practices. By addressing these challenges and expanding the geographic scope of monitoring programs, we can better inform evidence-based policies and interventions aimed at mitigating plastic pollution on a global scale.

Trait-based approaches that complement taxonomy-based studies have increased in popularity among the scientific community over the last decades. The collection of biological and ecological characteristics of species (i.e., traits) provides insight into species and ecosystem vulnerability to environmental and anthropogenic changes, as well as ecosystem functioning. Here, we present the FUN Azores trait database, describe our approach, evaluate its scope, compare it to other marine trait databases, and explore the spatial distribution of its traits with “functional maps.” While most of the available trait databases to date contain essential information to understand the functional diversity of a taxonomic or functional group, our ecosystem-based approach provides a comprehensive assessment of diverse fauna (i.e., meio-, macro-, and megafauna) from benthic and pelagic environments in the Azores Marine Park; including ridges, seamounts, hydrothermal vents, and the overlying water column. We used a collaborative approach involving 30 researchers with different expertise to develop the FUN Azores database, which contains compiled data on 14 traits representing morphological, behavioral, and life history characteristics for 1,210 species across 10 phyla. The “functional maps” show a distinct distribution of the two most common size classes, suggesting different communities with different functionalities. The following traits had the best scoring coverage (i.e., >95% of the species scored): maximum body size, body form, skeleton material, feeding structure, motility, environmental position, substratum affinity, distribution, and depth range; while traits related to species behavior (e.g., sociability or aggregation tendencies) and life history (e.g., developmental mechanism) had lower scoring coverage, highlighting the need for further research to fill these knowledge gaps. We found a larger number of species in the benthic compared to the pelagic environment and differing

Trait-based approaches that complement taxonomic-based studies have increased in popularity among the scientific community over the last decades. The collection of biological and ecological characteristics of species (i.e., traits) provides insight into species and ecosystem vulnerability to environmental and anthropogenic changes, as well as ecosystem functioning. While most of the available trait databases to date contain essential information to understand the functional diversity of a taxonomic group or functional group based on size, the FUN Azores trait database has an ecosystem-based approach that provides a comprehensive assessment of diverse fauna (meio-, macro-, and megafauna) from benthic and pelagic environments in the Azores Marine Park; including ridges, seamounts, and hydrothermal vents. We used a collaborative approach involving 30 researchers with different expertise to develop the trait database; which contains compiled data on 14 traits representing morphological, behavioral, and life history characteristics for 1210 species, across 10 phyla

Plastic litter has been widely documented in our oceans, leading to growing worldwide concerns regarding its potential impact on the marine environment. A large proportion of this plastic accumulates at the bottom of the ocean, resulting in a need to monitor and quantify seafloor litter. Seafloor litter monitoring is mostly performed using benthic beam trawls, which have several limitations and environmental implications. New innovative ways to document and address seafloor litter are therefore necessary and requested by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14.1.1b), the Oslo Paris Convention (OSPAR) and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). This systematic review gives an overview of the state-of-the-art of 14 current underwater technologies that are eligible for future in situ detection of plastic litter on the seafloor based on 101 publications. A set of objectives and a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale were used to benchmark the technologies and revealed that the most suitable system is often very scenario-specific and, therefore, demands investments in more than one specific group of technologies. A decision tool was established to determine the most suitable technique for a range of different situations. This review indicates that most of these technologies are currently at low-middle TRLs, requiring several more development, testing and commercialization steps before they can be applied effectively in marine field conditions. However, these technologies, alone or in combination, have the potential to contribute to the establishment of more robust global environmental indicators and monitoring programs for plastic pollution.

Abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), represents a significant percentage of the global plastic pollution, currently considered one of the major sources from sea-based activities. However, there is still limited understanding of the quantities of ALDFG present on the seafloor and their impacts. In this study, data on the presence of ALDFG was obtained from a large archive of seafloor video footage (351 dives) collected by different imaging platforms in the Azores region over 15 years (2006-2020). Most ALDFG items observed in the images relate to the local bottom longline fishery operating in the region, and include longlines but also anchors, weights, cables and buoys. A generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) was used to predict the distribution and abundance of ALDFG over the seafloor within the limits of the Azores Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) using a suite of environmental and anthropogenic variables. We estimated an average of 113 ± 310 items km-2 (597 ± 756 per km-2 above 1000 m depth), which could imply that over 20 million ALDFG items are present on the deep seafloor of the Azores EEZ. The resulting model identified potential hotspots of ALDFG along the seabed, some of them located over sensitive benthic habitats, such as specific seamounts. In addition, the interactions between ALDFG and benthic organisms were also analysed. Numerous entanglements were observed with several species of large anthozoans and sponges. The use of predictive distribution modelling for ALDFG should be regarded as a useful tool to support ecosystem-based management, which can provide indirect information about fishing pressure and allow the identification of potential high-risk areas. Additional knowledge about the sources, amounts, fates and impacts of ALDFG will be key to address the global issue of plastic pollution and the effects of fishing on marine ecosystems.