TRENDS IN THE AMOUNT AND COMPOSITION OF LITTER INGESTED BY SEA TURTLE: THE INDICIT PROJECT

Transcription

1 TRENDS IN THE AMOUNT AND COMPOSITION OF LITTER INGESTED BY SEA TURTLE: THE INDICIT PROJECT Matiddi M., Tomás J., de Lucia G.A., Pham C.K., Bradai M.N., Kaberi H., Kaska Y., Claro F., Loza A.L. and Miaud (presented by Cecilia Silvestri) Project number : /2016/748064/SUB/ENV.C2

2 Marine Strategy Framework Directive How to determine GES for Descriptor 10 INDICIT Project composition of litter ingested by sea turtle FIRST RESULTS

3 Why INDICIT PROJECT? The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) aims to achieve the protection of marine environment across Europe, with the objective of achieving the Good Environmental Status (GES) by GES DESCRIPTORS 1. BIODIVERSITY 2. NON-INDIGENOUS SPECIES 3. COMMERCIAL FISH & SHELLFISH 4. FOOD WEBS 5. EUTROPHICATION 6. SEA-FLOOR INTEGRITY 7. HYDROGRAPHICAL CONDITIONS 8. CONTAMINANTS 9. CONTAMINANTS IN SEAFOOD 10. MARINE LITTER To help European Commission and Member States to answer the requests of the Directives 11. ENERGY, UNDERWATER NOISE Descriptor 10 Properties and quantities of marine litter do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment

4 How to determine GES for Descriptor 10? Criteria (D10C1, D10C2)-Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848 The composition, amount and spatial distribution of litter and micro-litter on: the coastline the surface layer of the the seabed water column at levels that do not cause harm to the coastal and marine are at levels that do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment.

5 How to determine GES for Descriptor 10? Criteria (D10C3, D10C4)- Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848 The amount of litter and micro-litter ingested by marine animals is at a level that does not adversely affect the health of the species concerned. The number of individuals of each species which are adversely affected due to litter, such as by entanglement. Photos (INDICIT Gallery):

6 How to define Good Environmental Status (GES)? How to define Good Environmental Status (GES)? Filling the criteria Establishing a threshold value threshold value means a value or Measurements/parameters (e.g. amount of litter ); Indicators (e.g % of affected sea turtle). Threshold value means a value or range of values that allows for an assessment of the quality level achieved for a particular criterion, thereby contributing to the assessment of the extent to which good environmental status is being achieved. Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848 threshold GA n /2016/748064/SUB/ENV.C2

7 Filling the criterion Select the data to be collected Standardize methods for monitoring and analysis Standardize the format of the database Collect data Elaborate data Standardize methods for assessment Establishing a threshold value

8 Which criteria INDICIT is focusing on? D10C3 -Litter and micro-litter ingested by marine animals (SeaTurtle and Fish) D10C4-Entanglement Photos by INDICIT Gallery:

9 INDICIT OBJECTIVES Developing a common approach for monitoring the marine debris ingestion by sea turtles. Assessing whether other species could be useful indicators, e.g. for entanglement and micro-debris ingestion. Proposing a metric (global or regional) of ingested debris by sea turtle compatible with the Good Environmental Status of marine waters. Photos (

10 INDICIT OBJECTIVES Developing an international permanent network which will collect and exchange key information. Providing training and standardized tools to staff involved in the monitoring of debris impact.

11 INDICIT structure and organisation Azores (Portugal) Consortium INDICIT supported by an External Advisory Board 8 EU + 2 non-eu countries Representative OSPAR, Barcelona, HELCOM, Ministries

12 What INDICIT has already done?

13 What INDICIT has already done 3 Feasibility Reports on: 1. Litter ingestion by sea turtles 2. Microlitter ingestion by sea turtles and fishes 3. Entanglement in debris (all fauna) Photos (INDICIT Gallery):

14 Standardization INDICIT of OBJECTIVES data collection 1/3 From dead turtles 2 types of standardized protocols Photos: G. Darmon

15 Standardization INDICIT data collection of OBJECTIVES data collection 2/3 2 types of standardized protocols From living turtles CestMed Photos: CestMed (top); G. Darmon (bottom) CESTM

16 Standardization INDICIT of OBJECTIVES data collection 3/3 Identification and quantification Photos: G. Darmon; S. Catteau (middle)

17 Networking 1/1 Identification, contact and networking of the stakeholders in charge of the collection and/or of the laboratory analyses of dead and/or live sea turtles in MEDITERANEAN SEA.

18 Networking 2/2 Identification, contact and networking of the stakeholders in charge of the collection and/or of the laboratory analyses of dead and/or live sea turtles in ATLANTIC OCEAN.

19 TRAININIG Local training on the established protocols for data collection to the identified stakeholders INDICIT GUIDELINES Ingested Plastic Litter (Y/N) volume (ml) Category (dry mass mg) Oesophagus /Stomach/ Intestine Other Litter Ind. Plastic Use she Use thr Use foa Use frag Other (Poth) (non plastic) Natural Food (Foo) Natural No Food (Nfo) LEGENDA Fo% Volume of all the plastic items using a meaasuring cilinder Industrial plastic granules Remains of sheet Fragments, Any other All the non INDICIT Threadlike All foamed broken datasheet pieces kind of plastic materials plastics of thicker plastic rubbish and type plastics material pollutant (basic and optional parameters) Anything natural, but which can Natural food not be of the animal considered as normal nutritious FOOD

20 Special TRAINING section for UNEP/MAP delegates Experts came from Lebanon, Israel, Egypt. They joined the INDICIT partners, harmonizing procedures of necropsy and identification or categorization of marine litter ingested by sea turtles. Photos (INDICIT Gallery):

21 VIDEO TUTORIAL This video for the implementation of the protocols will be soon available on the INDICIT website. The texts/audio-tracks of the video will be in English in collaboration with the partners and sub-titles will be translated.

22 Collection of new data and uploading to the common database FIRST RESULTS MEDITERRANEAN DATA for Carette caretta 611 Sea turtles 326 Ingested plastic items FO= 53.3% 187 Alive Dead

23 FIRST RESULTS MEDITERRANEAN DATA for Caretta caretta A= Alive D=Dead %= Frequency of occurrence (FO%) Spain 155 D 81.9% France 26 A 30.8% 30 D 80 % Italy 151 A 31.1% 176 D 53.4% Tunisia 10 A 30% 7 D 42.8% MED 187 A 31.1% 424 D 63.2% Turkey 56 D 35.7%

24 What INDICIT is going to do? Validation and implementation of the baseline and define the TRESHOLD VALUES for the GES Photos (INDICIT Gallery):

25 2 possible ways in discussion for the MED SEA (according to Matiddi et al., 2017) 1 way Relating to the weight (gr of litter) Establish the clearest area of the Mediterranean Sea using the minimum average value of our dataset. This value could be our threshold Sample size (e.g. N>50) will be tested There should be less than X% of loggerheads having Y g or more plastic in the stomach in samples of stranded loggerheads from each area, where Y is the average value of plastic ingested and X% the percentage of sea turtles with more grams of plastic than Y.

26 2 possible ways in discussion for the MED SEA (according to Matiddi et al., 2017) 2 way Relating to the weight (gr of litter) Establish the percentage of affected turtles (FO% plastic>food) on the entire dataset in order to define baseline of the chosen area. Evaluate the minimum percentage in the chosen area. This value could be our threshold Sample size (e.g. N>50) will be tested There should be less than X% of loggerheads having more plastic grams than food remains (Foo) in the stomach in samples of stranded loggerheads from each sub-region, where there is no fixed value. Plastic grams are compared with food remain for each loggerhead.

27 Call for you WE are building an International network Mediterranean and European researchers and sea turtle rescue centres are invited to contact INDICIT partners in order to join this international network. MEDITERRANEAN: ATLANTIC : carettana@gmail.com

28 Thanks