Using Northern fulmars as an ecological monitor of marine litter in line with indicators set for MSFD descriptor 10 - Update 2013

The aim of this project is to provide UK authorities with monitoring data required under OSPAR and EU-MSFD agreements to reach acceptable ecological quality of the marine environment in terms of marine debris. The (undated) OSPAR target is that less than 10% of fulmars may exceed a critical level of 0.1 gram of plastic in the stomach. Regional aims for the short term target of Good Environmental Status in the European MSFD by the year 2020 still have to be agreed, but mostly tend to be worded in terms of 'measurable improvement'. The proposed monitoring provides internationally tested and agreed methods to offer clear conclusions on trends and levels of pollution.

Additional information:

Please note that Defra procurement uses e-tendering, provided by Bravosolutions. In order to access the Bravo system you will need to be registered.

Could I therefore request that you register on the Bravo portal for Defra.

If you're already registered on the Bravo portal please check that your registration includes Defra, as you have to specify us in order to correctly receive the tender documents.

If you have any problems with the registration process, please contact the Bravo helpline on 0800 368 4850 or alternatively email them at help@bravosolution.co.uk. The link you require for new registration/amendments to registrations is - https://defra.bravosolution.co.uk