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The median results for 2024, based on four locations, are: pellets: 745 per 100 m beach length and mesoplastic fragments: 565 per 100 m beach length. Both pellets and mesoplastic fragments counts are higher than the median results of 2023. Note that this must not be considered as a trend (for which six data years must be analyzed), and is probably caused by year-to-year variation. The average weight per pellet is 26.4 mg, and per mesoplastic fragment 49.5 mg.

The median results in 2023 based at four locations, are: pellets: 705 per 100 m beach length and mesoplastic fragments: 235 per 100 m beach length. The average weight per pellet is 27.2 mg, and per mesoplastic fragment 53.2 mg

Four Dutch beaches were chosen to apply the monitoring method. The OSPAR beach selection criteria were used (2022). In addition, the proximity to sources (harbour or estuary outlet) was used as an additional beach selection criterion (Galgani et al., 2023). This led to the selection of the locations Neeltje Jans (close to the outlet of the Westerschelde estuary and indicated as pellet hotspot) and
Monster (close to the outlet of the Nieuwe Waterweg and to the port of Rotterdam). Terschelling and Bergen, both national monitoring locations for beach litter, were also selected. These two beaches are standard monitoring locations for beach macro litter.

There has emerged a need in the past years for the monitoring of pellets on beaches. The Netherlands has cooperated in the development of an EU monitoring method for pellets and mesoplastic fragments on beaches and started Dutch monitoring in 2021.

In recent years, a clear information need has emerged within OSPAR (www.ospar.org) and the European Task Group for Marine Litter (TGML) for sufficiently reliable and comparable data on pellets on a European level. For example, OSPAR has defined a Regional Action Plan (RAP) measure to obtain ...