E MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION MEPC 75/INF.23 COMMITTEE 24 January 2020 75th session ENGLISH ONLY Agenda item 8 Pre-session public release: ☒ FOLLOW-UP WORK EMANATING FROM THE ACTION PLAN TO ADDRESS MARINE PLASTIC LITTER FROM SHIPS Progress report of the GESAMP Working Group on Sea-based Sources of Marine Litter Note by the Secretariat SUMMARY Executive summary: This document sets out, in its annex, a first, interim report of the GESAMP Working Group on Sea-based Sources of Marine Litter (WG 43). An accompanying progress report on the work of the Group is provided in document MEPC 75/8/5. Strategic direction, if 4 applicable: Output: 4.3 Action to be taken: Paragraph 3 Related documents: MEPC 74/18 and MEPC 75/8/5 Introduction 1 At its seventy-fourth session, the Committee noted the recent establishment of the GESAMP Working Group on Sea-based Sources of Marine Litter (WG 43) and requested GESAMP to provide a progress report to MEPC 75 on the work of GESAMP WG 43, together with an accompanying presentation (MEPC 74/18, paragraph 8.26). A brief progress report is set out in document MEPC 75/8/5. 2 A first, interim report of the Working Group is provided in the annex to this document. It has been peer-reviewed and approved for circulation by GESAMP but should still be regarded as work in progress. An updated text, following any comments and inputs received from delegations, will form part of the Working Group's full report, which is expected to be finalized by the end of 2020. Comments and additional information that can assist in the work of the Working Group are therefore welcome. Action requested of the Committee 3 The Committee is invited to note the information provided. *** I:\MEPC\75\MEPC 75-INF.23.docx MEPC 75/INF.23 Annex, page 1 ANNEX SEA-BASED SOURCES OF MARINE LITTER – A REVIEW OF CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND ASSESSMENT OF DATA GAPS First, interim report of GESAMP Working Group 43 January 2020 Notes: GESAMP is an advisory body consisting of specialized experts nominated by the Sponsoring Agencies (IMO, FAO, UNESCO-IOC, UNIDO, WMO, IAEA, UN, UNEP, UNDP and ISA). Its principal task is to provide scientific advice concerning the prevention, reduction and control of the degradation of the marine environment to the Sponsoring Organizations. The report contains views expressed or endorsed by members of GESAMP who act in their individual capacities; their views may not necessarily correspond with those of the Sponsoring Organizations. Permission may be granted by any of the Sponsoring Organizations for the report to be wholly or partially reproduced in publication by any individual who is not a staff member of a Sponsoring Organizations of GESAMP, provided that the source of the extract and the condition mentioned above are indicated. Information about GESAMP and its reports and studies can be found at: http://gesamp.org Copyright © IMO, FAO, UNESCO-IOC, UNIDO, WMO, IAEA, UN, UNEP, UNDP, ISA 2020 Authors: Kirsten V.K. Gilardi (WG 43 Chair), Kyle Antonelis, Francois Galgani, Emily Grilly, Pingguo He, Olof Linden, Rafaella Piermarini, Kelsey Richardson, David Santillo, Saly N. Thomas, Pieter Van den Dries, and Lumin Wang I:\MEPC\75\MEPC 75-INF.23.docx MEPC 75/INF.23 Annex, page 2 Executive Summary Marine litter, defined as 'any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment' (Galgani et al. 2013) as a result of human activity, has been recognized as a threat to ocean health since our understanding of the environmental aspects of human actions in the ocean started to expand in the 1970s. Of particular concern is plastic litter, given its inherent strength and durability even under the extreme of marine conditions, compounded by the sheer quantity of plastic that has been manufactured, used and discarded globally since its commercial advent in the 1950s. It is generally assumed that the majority of plastic waste entering the world's oceans comes from land-based sources, yet marine litter resulting from sea-based activities, such as fishing, shipping, aquaculture, ocean dumping and other ocean-based activities, has not been rigorously quantified on any scale, and its contribution to the global burden of plastic debris in the world's oceans is poorly understood. Furthermore, certain forms of sea-based marine litter, such as abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) that is largely comprised of a variety of manufactured, synthetic materials that do not degrade in seawater, may not only be significant sources of marine plastic, but may well have far greater impacts on marine biota and habitats than do other forms of marine litter coming from sea or land. The overall objective of GESAMP Working Group 43 on Sea-based Sources of Marine Litter is to build a broader understanding of sea-based sources of marine litter, in particular from the shipping and fishing sectors, including the relative contribution of different sources, analysis of plastic use and management within both industries, and the range and extent of impacts from all sea-based sources of marine litter. The Working Group has also been mandated to work to build a more comprehensive understanding of specific types of sea-based sources of marine litter, and to guide interventions on these sources based on identified priorities, drawing upon the expertise of FAO, IMO, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and other relevant organizations and experts. This first interim report represents progress made by WG 43 from June – December 2019 on achieving the following Terms of Reference (ToR): ToR 1: Identify sources of marine litter from sea based sources, including but not limited to fishing operations, aquaculture, shipping, dumping of waste and other matter at sea; and other sea-based sources (e.g. recreation); ToR 2: Estimate the relative contribution and impacts of different sea- based sources of marine litter; and ToR 4: Assess data gaps as identified under ToRs 1 to 3, and prioritize for further work. ToR 3, 5, 6, and 7 (see Section 1.2.2 for detail) are not addressed in this Interim Report; these terms will be addressed in future reports. Principal findings to date are that marine litter derived from sea-based activities and industries is of great concern, largely because synthetic materials comprise significant portions and components of debris entering the world's oceans from fishing, shipping, aquaculture, ocean dumping and other sources. Furthermore, certain types of sea-based marine litter, such as abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear, are highly impactful on marine resources, wildlife, and habitats. However, at this time, it is not possible to estimate the total contribution of sea-based activities and industries to the global burden of marine litter because very little quantification of marine litter inputs exists in the scientific and grey literature. The Working Group intends to further explore and refine its findings, with intent to develop a scientifically defensible estimate of the relative contribution of sea-based sources of marine litter, further analyse the quantity and category of plastics produced and used by the fishing and shipping industries, identify ALDFG hotspots and further quantify the environmental and economic impacts of ALDFG, and review and compare options for mitigating the problem of sea-based sources of marine litter. I:\MEPC\75\MEPC 75-INF.23.docx MEPC 75/INF.23 Annex, page 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction and Background 1.1 General overview 1.2 GESAMP Working Group 43 1.2.1 Scoping Activities 1.2.2 Terms of Reference 1.2.3 Defining "sea-based marine litter" 1.3 General approach to initial research and fact-finding 1.4 Literature cited 2 Fishing as a marine litter source 2.1 Background and introduction 2.1.1 Defining abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) 2.1.2 Fisheries, fisher populations, and fishing fleets 2.1.3 Fishing gear: Types and components 2.1.4 Recreational fisheries 2.1.5 Fish aggregating devices (FADs) 2.2 Causes of fishing gear abandonment, loss and discard 2.2.1. Environmental causes 2.2.2. Conflicts with gear 2.2.3. Fisheries management and regulations 2.2.4 Operator/user error 2.3 Literature review 2.3.1 Methods 2.3.2 Summary Findings 2.4. Literature cited 3 Aquaculture as a marine litter source 3.1 Background and introduction 3.2. Global aquaculture production 3.3. Aquaculture as a source of marine litter 3.3.1. Aquaculture equipment and plastics 3.3.2. Aquaculture-related litter 3.4. Literature cited 4 Shipping/boating as a marine litter source 4.1 Background and introduction 4.2. Types of marine litter from shipping 4.2.1. Microplastics from shipping and boating 4.3. Causes of marine litter from shipping 4.3.1. Shipwrecks 4.3.2. Lost containers and cargoes 4.3.3. Passengers ships 4.3.4. Fishing vessels operations 4.3.5. Recreational boating 4.3.6. Decommissioning / ship-breaking 4.4. Literature cited I:\MEPC\75\MEPC 75-INF.23.docx MEPC 75/INF.23 Annex, page 4 5 Dumping of Waste and Matter at Sea as a Marine Litter Source 5.1. Background and introduction 5.2. Sources and characterization of marine litter resulting from ocean dumping 5.2.1. Dredged materials 5.2.2. Sewage sludge 5.2.3. Fish waste, organic material of natural origin, and inert inorganics 5.2.4. Vessels, platforms and other man-made structures 5.2.5. 'Bulky' items 5.2.6. Spoilt cargoes 5.2.7. Other materials, including historical and illegal dumping. 5.3. Ocean dumping and plastics 5.4.