Seafloor litter in two protected areas (Sopot and Dražin vrt) in the Boka Kotorska Bay (Montenegro, southeast Adriatic Sea)

The first assesment of seafloor marine litter pollution in marine protected areas in Montenegro is presented. Surveys were performed during 2020 and 2021 year at two protected marine areas “Sopot” and “Dražin vrt”. Methodology was based on visual survey by SCUBA diving during cleaning campains. The results show dominance of plastic litter (46.91%), while considering the size classes, the most numerous was size class I (46.54%). Mean density of marine litter was 3 items/100 m². Results indicate that both investigated MPA's are highly polluted by seafloor marine litter, what highlights the need for constant monitoring.