AQUA-LIT’s main objective is to provide the aquaculture sector with a toolbox that can provide existing, upcoming and already implemented tools, case studies, best practices, a database and links between stakeholders for addressing the 3 main components of marine littering: prevention & reduction, monitoring & quantification, and removal & recycling.

The toolbox will be focused on three sea basins: the Mediterranean, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea regions and it will be accessible through an online platform and a mobile app.

Furthermore, AQUA-LIT will assess the current policies and give policy recommendations for better decision-making in the aquaculture sector, create a transferability plan for sharing all the results and knowledge obtained to EU overseas territories, like the Azores, and it will create an exploitation strategy for setting up local working groups that can ensure the sustainability of the project after its termination
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FRCT is the leader of the WP5. Task 5.1. Policy for less litter, in which we are responsible for the identification of the policy gaps and engagement with the relevant authorities, as well as for the provision of policy guidelines for better decision-making.

Impact on the Azores Region:
As part of this project, a set of tools (toolbox) for the aquaculture sector will be created in order to address the three main components of marine litter - prevention and reduction, monitoring and quantification & removal and recycling, which can be implemented in the Azores region. In addition, it will assess current policies and make policy recommendations to assist in better strategic decision-making for the aquaculture sector.

Other Regional Institutions involved: Azores Regional Directorate of Fisheries