The impacts of abandoned, discarded and lost fishing gear on marine biodiversity in Morocco

Abstract

Plastic pollution and the resulting entanglement of marine wildlife is a global and growing issue. However, there is a significant lack of knowledge about the impacts of marine litter on marine biodiversity in Morocco. Based on a digital media search, we evaluated the negative impacts of marine litter on Moroccan marine biodiversity. The study demonstrated that sixty-eight individuals from 18 species were affected by marine litter. Cetaceans are most affected by entanglements, followed by sea turtles, fish, seabirds and elasmobranchs. Most of the reported entanglements were from discarded or lost fishing gear, indicating the importance of strengthening existing legislation for the protection of endangered marine animals and implementing mitigation measures related to discarded fishing litter. This study is the first inventory of marine wildlife affected by marine litter in Morocco, but the real status stays underestimated and still somewhat unclear.