Expedition in search of marine pollution

Plastic pellets, also known as nurdles or mermaid tears, are small spheres (usually less than 5 mm) used as raw material in the manufacturing of plastic articles. Due to lack of regulation in the value chain and bad practices, pellets are "lost" in different stages of the plastic production and distribution chain (production, transport, recycling...) At European level, pellets are the second primary source of microplastic pollution.

This pollution can be the result of one-off incidents such as recently off the coast of Sri Lanka, or of chronic, recurrent and continuous pollution, as is the case in Tarragona, where it is estimated that in 2019 there were up to 120 million pellets on the beach of La Pineda near the Tarragona petrochemical complex.

On June 2021, Surfrider Foundation Europe, Surfrider Spain and Good Karma Projects conducted a 10-day scientific expedition between Tarragona and the Balearic Islands, confirming that pellet pollution in the Mediterranean is widespread and alarming, and that solutions need to be sought.
#Surfrider Foundation Europe

Video : Ainhoa Munoz