Floating marine debris are present throughout the oceans and may have negative impacts on marine fauna, such as entanglement, ingestion and transport of exotic species. The present work aims at obtaining estimates of abundance and density of floating marine debris and vessels, as well as their spatial distributions along the entire study area. It also aims at identifying areas of spatial overlap between marine debris, cetaceans and vessels. The sighting surveys were performed during the summer of 2011, aboard the sailing vessel Santa Maria Manuela. This campaign was part of the project LIFE+ MARPRO - Conservation of marine protected species in Mainland Portugal, and the study area ranged between the 50 and the 220 nautical miles west of Portugal mainland, covering an area of about 252833 Km2. The survey was conducted along line transects, following a methodology that allowed to using conventional distance sampling methods to estimate the abundance and density of floating marine debris and vessels. Mean density (objects per km2) of debris in the study area overall was 2.96 objects per km2 and the total abundance was 747720 floating pieces. Floating plastic was the most common type of debris. In respect of vessels, mean density was 0.0013434 vessels per km2 and the estimated total abundance was 340 vessels.
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机译：漂浮的海洋垃圾遍布整个海洋，并且可能对海洋动物产生负面影响，例如纠缠，吸收和运输外来物种。本工作旨在获得对漂浮的海洋垃圾和船只的丰度和密度的估计，以及它们在整个研究区域内的空间分布。它还旨在确定海洋垃圾，鲸类和船只之间的空间重叠区域。目视调查是在2011年夏天在帆船Santa Maria Manuela船上进行的。这项运动是“ LIFE + MARPRO-葡萄牙大陆海洋保护物种保护”项目的一部分，研究区域范围在葡萄牙大陆以西50海里至220海里之间，覆盖面积约为252833 Km2。沿线样线进行调查，采用的方法允许使用常规的距离采样方法来估计漂浮的海洋垃圾和船只的丰度和密度。研究区域中碎片的平均密度（每平方公里物体）为2.96个物体/平方公里，总丰度为747720浮片。漂浮的塑料是最常见的碎片类型。就船只而言，平均密度为每平方千米0.0013434艘船只，估计的总丰度为340艘船只。
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