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This study investigates the entanglement of marine vertebrates in plastic based on 17 yr (2008-2024) of opportunistic observations between the Azores Archipelago and mainland Portugal. The data was obtained from (1) sea users (tourist operators, scientists, fishery observers) and (2) a stranding network. Only events supported by clear visual evidence were included in the analysis. We report a total of 41 entanglements in either abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG; 56%) or in single-use plastics (SUPs; 44%) in 10 different vertebrate species (blue shark, swordfish, loggerhead and green sea turtles, Cory\u2019s shearwater, bottlenose dolphin, minke, Bryde, and sei whales, and Sowerby\u2019s beaked whale). Most individuals (78%) presented visible impacts from the entangling debris, typically external lesions (91%) or mortality (9%). Specific injuries in live animals included constrictions (46%), skin damage such as wounds or lacerations (39%), limb loss (11%), and body deformations (4%). Although opportunistic data may not fully capture the extent and severity of entanglements, we found that floating plastic exerts additional pressure on open ocean ecosystems. This is often overlooked due to a limited network of stakeholders supporting data sharing, which is crucial for understanding this ongoing threat. Overall, this study offers the first baseline evidence on plastic litter entanglements among several marine vertebrate species in the open NE Atlantic, supporting consistent monitoring for the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3354\/esr01485","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]],"date-time":"2026-01-21T09:09:22Z","timestamp":1768986562000},"page":"1-16","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3354\/policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Marine debris entanglements and associated impacts in megafauna across the open NE Atlantic Ocean"],"prefix":"10.3354","volume":"59","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6910-3185","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yasmina","family":"Rodr\u00edguez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3947-6917","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Frederic","family":"Vandeperre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Hugo","family":"Parra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Miguel","family":"Machete","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8451-5532","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jorge","family":"Fontes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2683-309X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"M\u00f3nica A.","family":"Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"given":"Christopher K.","family":"Pham","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"1913","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"Ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.marpolbul.2023.115326"},{"key":"Ref2","unstructured":"Afonso P, Vandeperre F, Fontes J, Porteiro F (2014) Conservation of pelagic elasmobranchs in the Azores. 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