Marine pollution from plastic pellets, small granules used as a raw material for plastic production, is a growing environmental problem with grave consequences for marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health. This form of primary microplastic is increasingly becoming the focus of environmental policies, owing to its frequent release into the marine environment during handling, storage, and marine transportation, all of which play a crucial role in global trade. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the ongoing discussions by highlighting the environmental risks associated with plastic pellets, which are recognized as a significant source of microplastics in the marine environment. It will also explore how targeted education and awareness-raising within the maritime sector can serve as key tools to address this environmental challenge. The study is based on a survey conducted among seafarers and maritime students to raise their awareness and assess their knowledge of the issue. Given their operational role in ensuring safe and responsible shipping, seafarers and maritime students are in a key position to prevent the release of plastic pellets into the marine environment through increased awareness and initiative-taking practices. The results show that awareness is moderate, but there is a significant lack of knowledge, particularly in relation to the environmental impact and regulatory aspects of plastic pellet pollution. These results underline the need for improved education and training in this area, especially among future and active maritime professionals.

As maritime transport continues to grow, the volume and complexity of waste generated by ships, such as garbage, sewage, and oily residues, requires the establishment of effective, accessible and well-regulated collection systems in ports. Ensuring effective waste management remains a major challenge across the European Union, as differences in national implementation and charging systems continue to undermine the sustainability of port reception facilities. Directive (EU) 2019/883 on port reception facilities (PRF Directive) was introduced to harmonise regulatory standards, ensure adequate infrastructure, and remove barriers to proper waste management. This paper analyses the transposition and implementation of the PRF Directive in selected EU countries, focusing on the differences in cost recovery systems (CRS) applied in ports. A comparative analysis of charging models and waste management plans for ports is carried out, including an in-depth study of the leading European ports with the highest reported waste volumes. A nine-criteria evaluation framework was developed through a stakeholder focus group involving port authorities, concessionaires, shipping companies, and the Harbour Master’s Office, and was applied using the multi-criteria TOPSIS decision methodology, complemented by sensitivity analyses and adjustments for different port types (cargo, passenger, fisheries, marinas). The results show that the best-performing models achieved C* values between 0.514 and 0.529, confirming the robustness of the evaluation framework. Overall, the findings indicate that the optimal charging model is context-dependent, with No-Special-Fee systems without special charges favoured in passenger and leisure ports, and Prepaid + Reimbursement models more suitable for cargo and fishing ports. The paper concludes with policy recommendations aimed at increasing transparency, ensuring consistent reporting, and aligning CRS models more closely with EU environmental objectives.

In the European Union, regulations and policies have been established to prevent and manage invasive alien species (IAS). The EU Regulation 1143/2014/EC, commonly known as the IAS Regulation, identifies species that pose significant ecological risks, requiring a coordinated response across all EU Member States. These species are classified as “species of Union concern” based on thorough risk assessments and standardized procedures within the EU. Accordingly, species are included in The List of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern (the Union list), which is subject to regular updates through continuous species evaluations. Currently, the majority of the species on this list are terrestrial and freshwater with few marine species represented. The primary aim of this paper is to review the procedure for the inclusion of species in the Union list. The steps for inclusion are outlined by the IAS Regulation and associated legislation, which govern the risk assessment process. In addition, this paper synthesizes available scientific literature and official documents to summarize the impacts of Plotosus lineatus and Rugulopteryx okamurae on biodiversity and ecosystem services. The potential for future updates to the Union list is currently under consideration, and some marine species are within.

Marginal and neglected until recently, noise pollution is a significant topic of sustainable development today. Port noise has become an increasingly critical problem for the environment. The public and the scientific community have gradually become aware of the harmful impact of noise emissions on residents living near port facilities. It coincides with the increase in complaints from the population about excessive noise pollution in ports, especially in residential areas near the cargo terminals in Split. This paper seeks to empirically investigate overall port noise and assess the significance of the reported disturbances. The methodology includes the measurement of noise in zero state conditions, residual noise and noise during specific work processes, and consideration of conditions for possible adjustments of the selected work process during transport operations. The goal is to propose plans for noise reduction by evaluating the results of noise monitoring with the specified limit values, which determine the highest permissible noise levels for industrial and residential zones in the observed area. The values exceed the maximum permitted noise levels during the night. However, this problem can be reduced through operational and technical adjustments in cargo handling processes, acting as objective mitigation measures. The effectiveness of the defined procedure is demonstrated by its application in the Port of Split, contributing to the port’s sustainability located near the residential area.

The sources of underwater sounds can be natural and human made, and the combination of these sounds at a particular time and place is called a soundscape. This chapter reviews the natural and human-made sources of marine sound and illustrates how the ocean soundscape is changing primarily due to the increase in anthropogenic noise. Anthropogenic noise is generated by various human activities related to the use of the marine environment whereby shipping is the leading contributor to noise pollution; thus, finding and implementing technical solutions to reduce noise in this sector should be a priority. Noise sources onboard vessels and the measures to reduce them have been analyzed. Since marine species are particularly sensitive to degradation and highly dependent on the acoustic environment, as they use sounds for various functional processes, the effects of marine noise thereon have been elucidated. It has been shown how soundscape itself can also be used as a tool for biodiversity investigation. It is necessary to take a whole range of measures to control human-induced noise. These range from strategic measures, which include ex-ante tools such as environmental impact assessment, to spatial–temporal, behavioral, technical, monitoring, and economic measures. Controlling underwater noise pollution and ensuring the preservation of the natural underwater landscape require interdisciplinary work and the involvement of various stakeholders.

The invasion of non-native species (NNS) is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity loss and represents a major problem in the Mediterranean Sea. Although many recent EU policies and directives address this problem and numerous scientific papers have been published, the available data remains scattered and incomplete. In 2021, the World Register of Introduced Marine Species (WRiMS), a newly established database, was launched but has not yet undergone systematic analysis. This study performed a thorough examination of the NNS documented in the WRiMS database within the Mediterranean Sea (International Hydrographic Organization Sea Area). Our findings revealed that the majority of species in the WRiMS database for the Mediterranean are classified as “unspecified” or “uncertain”, with only 79 species labeled as “invasive” and 13 as “of concern”. The number of recorded animal species exceeds that of plants, and most species belong to the phyla Chordata and Mollusca. Callinectes sapidus and Fistularia commersonii were the most frequently recorded species in the WRiMS for the Mediterranean. Although there exists some data on the impact of NNS and the vectors of their introduction, the information remains incomplete and requires further scientific research. The synthesized and summarized data in the supplement can be valuable input for a range of management decisions and for guiding further scientific research concerning NNS invasions in the Mediterranean Sea.

Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is the most important tuna species in Mediterranean tuna fishery and a valuable commodity on the global fish market. Croatia is a pioneer in tuna farming in the Mediterranean and the only country that has the exclusive right to farm wild-caught juvenile tuna (8 to 30 kg). This paper identifies key challenges to the sustainability of current farming and fattening practices, primarily economic and environmental, and possible solutions to overcome these challenges. This paper analyses data on tuna catch and aquaculture production (FAO FishStatJ and EU-Eurostat database) and updates the latest literature on farming practices, production challenges related to biotechnical, economic and environmental issues, the market and current legislation in Croatia, as well as fattening in other Mediterranean countries. Tuna capture-based aquaculture is attractive to investors because it promises high returns, but the sustainability of intensive tuna farming and fattening is questionable and raises many ethical issues. Tuna farming and fattening relies on wild fish for stocking and feeding, and further expansion of tuna farming and fattening is limited by the size of wild tuna and small fish populations. To meet the growing global demand for tuna and to conserve wild tuna stocks, further investments are needed. The knowledge gained in Croatian tuna farming is valuable for future sustainable close-cycled tuna farming in the Mediterranean. Due to its good environmental status, the availability of small pelagic fish, the availability of a highly qualified and well-organised labour force, the good cooperation between producers and researchers, and the application of modern farming technologies, ABFT farmed in Croatia have high quality and a good reputation on the market. The main weakness of Croatian tuna farming is that the entire industry is dependent on the Japanese market, but this can be overcome by the possibility of product diversification for new markets, including the tourism industry.

The impact of recreational fishing on fish stocks was neglected for many years as it was considered minor and insignificant. Despite the increasing assessment of the impact of recreational fishing, little effort is made to effectively and systematically collect catch and effort data from recreational fishing and integrate them into official fishery statistics. The aim of this study is to provide the first empirical investigation to quantify the impact of spearfishing on coastal fish communities in the eastern Adriatic. In Croatia, continuous monitoring of spearfishing competitions started in 2005, but, in 2012, the rules for the competitions were changed, and the species and quantities per species were restricted. For the purpose of this analysis, only data collected during the seven-year period from 2005 to 2011 were used, which included a total of 46 competitions in which spearfishers fished without any limitations, as later data were not comparable. These data can provide a robust estimation of the impact of spearfishing on coastal communities. Instead of a general approach, future studies should adopt a species-specific approach. Compared to the results on the impacts of other fishing methods, the obtained results are useful for researchers, managers, and also policy makers to sustainably manage coastal ecosystems and the associated ecosystems services.

The word sustainable became more and more important in maritime affairs especially in shipping. It has strong impact on environmental, social and economic sector. Throughout the years the number of researches on sustainable shipping has increased and became often represented in scientific articles. Through the authors’ science mapping, it could be noticed that many papers on this topic were elaborated on and were given the systematic literature review for the period of ten years, precisely 2009-2019. In this paper, authors try to research how many articles with the term sustainable shipping had been published in the last two years. The term sustainable shipping was searched in keywords, publication titles and abstracts. The research resulted in 35 selected papers. The obtained scientific papers are categorized according to the following: Web of science Categories, Web of Science Index, Paper Document, Open Access, Research Area and Countries. The paper will try to give future research directions how to easily categorize hot research topics in the domain of the word sustainable or any other, which is of author’s interests.

The aim of this paper is to analyse the main scientific contributions in the field of sustainable seaports, with a particular focus on passenger seaports and passenger seaports’ commitment to sustainability. The focus of this analysis is on the methods used to improve and develop a sustainable seaport. A search of the Web of Science Core Collection that addresses this topic consists of scientific articles published from 2012 to 2022. The articles are divided into seven groups by research area (technical/technological, legal, organisational, economic, social, environmental, and other) and five groups by applied methodology (literature review, theoretical approach, qualitative approach/methods, quantitative approach/methods, and other). The results show that most of the papers were published in the field of the environmental impacts of a sustainable seaport and a sustainable passenger seaport. In addition, most papers used quantitative approach/methods.

The description of sound as a form of energetic pollutant is very complex as is also its impact on aquatic life. Human activities causing continuous and implosive underwater noise, such as marine traffic, maintenance of ships, coastal tourism, marine research, military, offshore energy platforms, generation of ocean energies and construction operations are expected to increase. The paper analyses current approach to minimise the impact of underwater noise and limit its emissions, examines regulatory approach and discusses the possibilities to control this type of pollution in order to ensure the preservation of natural underwater soundscape. The timely implementation and further development of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive and its provisions related to underwater noise is of exceptional importance for the Adriatic Sea, which is facing increasing pressure from various industries generating underwater noise.

By the intensification of maritime traffic, shipping could become one of the most likely pathways of introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) in the Adriatic Sea. In this paper we provided an updated list of NIS introduced into Adriatic Sea by shipping as pathway, the most likely vectors of introduction, country of first detection, year, origin, establishing success and invasive characteristics. In total, 127 NIS were identified as the most probably introduced by maritime shipping into the Adriatic Sea. Rhodophyta, Arthropoda and Annelida represents almost 50% of all the listed species. The highest number of NIS introduced likely by shipping has been identified for period from 2001 to 2010 year. More than 73% of NIS listed for the first time in the Adriatic Sea were recorded in Italy. Half of listed NIS (50%) were probably introduced by external ship's vector i.e. boat hull fouling (BHF). Majority of these species were classified as established. Screening of the potential risk of NIS being invasive in the Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea has not been done systematically, and for the most of NIS has never been performed. Increased number of sailing, motor recreational boats and cruise ships, lack on solutions for biofouling suppression and lack on regulations for anchoring may intensify NIS introductions by shipping as the most probable pathway into Adriatic Sea. That could become serious threat for native biodiversity and natural heritage, and it needs to be taken seriously by all relevant organisations and stakeholders.

As nautical tourism and recreational activities involving boats have become highly popular, research interest on various effects of nautical tourism is also increasing. This paper aims to analyze the main scientific contributions in the field of nautical tourism and its impact on the environment. The focus of the analysis is on the methods used to estimate and model recreational boating activities. Since nautical tourism plays a crucial role in the context of the growth and development of the economy, it is necessary to consider the environmental component of its development. The background objective of the paper is to provide a representation of environmental descriptors, i.e., to highlight in particular the environmental impact of nautical tourism. A search on the Web of Science Core Collection, touching on this topic, is composed of scientific papers published in the period 2010–2021. The papers examined are divided into five categories according to the impact of nautical tourism they study: Environmental, Economic, Social, Technical or Other. The results show that most papers were published in the area of environmental impacts of nautical tourism, with most papers examining invasive species, antifouling and impacts on species. The analysis showed that the negative impacts were mainly studied individually. Based on the analysis and evaluation of the scientific publications, a basic recommendation is given for the construction of a model to estimate recreational boating activities and its impact on the environment.

The UN agenda for Sustainable Development underlines the importance of balanced and integrated environmental, economic and social development through 17 goals. The role of the shipping industry in achieving the sustainable goals is recognized and highlighted by UN. As shipping companies are one of the most important stakeholders in the global economy and maritime transport, sustainable goals must be integrated into their continued operations and development. This paper aims to analyze the commitment of the largest shipping companies to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). From their annual reports for 2019 and 2020, an analysis of the commitment to SDG was conducted. The analysis shows that the majority of the companies comply with the SDG and embed them in their daily business processes.

Strategically, the Republic of Croatia, with its economy focused on tourism, is directly connected to the sea and coastal area, and integrated management of this area contributes to the sustainable development strategy. Worldwide, the problem of atmospheric pollution from maritime traffic is a poorly researched area, especially when this type of traffic is continuously growing. On the example of Port Split, the paper aims to present the following emission, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOC), sulphur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM) and black carbon, of line vessels during manoeuvring and hotelling phase for 2017, 2018 and 2019. Furthermore, the statistical analysis and appropriate conclusions have been performed on CO2 since all other emissions are linearly dependent. From the analyses in the hotelling and manoeuvring phase of line ships, it can be concluded that during 2019 there was a slight increase in emissions, but overall there was no significant increase in the number of line vessels and increased traffic. The obtained results of case study of port Split provide recommendations leading to further reduction of harmful gas emission, monitoring them, and integrating it into management of urban ports.

Abstract The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of bluefin tuna, with special regard to its farming challenges. Tuna is one of the most prominent species in fisheries worldwide. The high market value of tuna stocks has led to intensified fishing pressure that resulted in drastic population reductions in every ocean where these fish are found. It is very difficult to obtain the necessary data for the appropriate stock assessment analysis, and there is a very high degree of uncertainty in the models used to evaluate Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks. Tuna-farming could help reduce pressure on the tuna population, but the problem is that the majority of cage-farmed fish is caught in its natural environment (wild population), and thus is fattened or farmed to a certain size. Additionally, the challenges in tuna farming are numerous. Tuna is a fast swimmer, a large energy and oxygen consumer, therefore consuming a large portion of available food to maintain its metabolism. However, due to its delicious taste, high market price and a large demand for this species, pressure will probably continue to grow in the future. Therefore intensive farming, which implies the full breeding cycle in captivity, remains one of the possible solutions that could help reduce the pressure on the tuna population.