Oceana is joining a research expedition to study marine litter in the Baltic Sea, as the problem worsens.
Arranged by the University of Örebro and Pangaea Exploration, the expedition will visit several key areas of the Baltic Sea, all the way from Kattegat, to the northernmost parts in the Bothnian Bay.
“It is sad to find human imprints in places where they do not belong. Hopefully the results of this expedition will further efforts to solve this problem. This requires urgent action from decision makers and cannot be left only to the hands of civil society and voluntary actions”, said Hanna Paulomäki, project manager, Oceana Baltic Sea.
Oceana says in the Baltic Sea, there is a lack of knowledge surrounding the issue and studies show it can have a negative effect on marine life.
“Newer research shows that micro-plastic may have dangerous consequences for the whole ecosystem via the food chain. Joining this expedition will allow us to increase the available knowledge on some of the areas we have studied during Oceana’s earlier expeditions, and gather new data for our future protection proposals”, added Christina Abel, marine biologist at Oceana.
The one-month expedition departed from Gothenburg earlier this month. Oceana will join them on the leg to the Bothnian Bay.
