GESAMP held its 45th session from 17 to 20 September 2018. The session was hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) one of GESAMP’s ten Sponsoring Organizations.
Among the main outcomes from the session, as a result of the working groups’ intersessional work, are several forthcoming publications in the GESAMP Reports and Studies series. These include topics such as, ballast water management, marine geoengineering, impacts of wastes from mining, and trends in coastal pollution. In the context of new and emerging issues GESAMP discussed the establishment of a new working group which will explore sea based sources of marine litter, including e.g. fishing gear and shipping related sources. The session was further complimented with a side event titled ‘Harmful algal blooms and food security and safety in the context of climate change’ with presentations by several experts in this field of work.