Marine litter surveys on Boccasette beach (Rovigo, Italy)

This study aims to evaluate the abundance and accumulation of the beach marine litter in relation to the main human activities and during some different meteorological conditions. Five surveys were performed along Boccasette spit, in the Veneto Regional Park of Po Delta (northern Adriatic Sea), adapting the DeFishGear protocol for beach litter. The debris was collected and analysed, and the beach cleanliness was evaluated applying the Clean Coast Index. Boccasette beach can be classified as moderately clean from late summer to winter and as clean during spring and summer. The main litter macro-category is represented by artificial polymer materials (96 %), while the others macro-categories represent the 4 % of collected items. The main sources of the marine litter have been attributed to improper waste disposal and fishing/aquaculture activities. Our results suggest that specific management approaches are needed to minimize the impacts of river’s flooding events. Finally, involvement activities of fishermen and fish-farmers should be performed in order to reduce the release of new marine litter and to implement the awareness regarding the plastic pollution.