Marine litter is an ecological, economic, health and aesthetic problem. It is a complex and multi-dimensional challenge with significant implications for the marine and coastal environment, and human activities all over the world. The persistence of marine litter is the result of a lack of coordinated global and regional strategies, and deficiencies in the implementation and enforcement of existing programmes, regulations and standards at all levels – international, regional and national.

This report was produced in close collaboration with scientists and experts under HERMES (Hotspot Ecosystem Research on the Margins of European Seas), a large, interdisciplinary deep-sea research project supported by the European Commissio's Framework Six Programme. The aim of HERMES is to understand better the biodiversity, structure, function and dynamics of ecosystems along Europe's deep-ocean margin, in order that appropriate and sustainable management strategies can be developed based on scientific knowledge.

Seamounts, deep-sea corals and fisheries - an ubiquitous ocean floor feature, a key marine ecosystem, and an important human activity: together they have created one of the most critical ocean issues. The report reveals the global scale of the vulnerability of habitat-forming stony corals on seamounts, and that of associated marine biodiversity and assemblages, to the impacts of trawling, especially in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

This reference book is intended for experts in the field of marine biology, students, and conservationists as well as for interested laypersons. No comparable encyclopedia on whales has been published so far.