The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires EU Member States to develop programmes of measures that aim to achieve or maintain Good Environmental Status (GES) in European seas. In order to be able to evaluate the quality status of marine waters on a regular basis and the effects of the measures taken, monitoring programs for MSFD descriptors and indicators have been established by the Member States. The Dutch monitoring program for Marine Litter (Descriptor 10) includes the collection of data on the abundance, composition and distribution of macro litter on the seafloor. According to the Dutch program, the data on seafloor litter must be collected during statutory task fish surveys using a standardised Grand Ouverture Verticale (GOV) fishing net as part of the International Bottom Trawl Survey (IBTS), which is carried out yearly in the North Sea. Anthropogenic pollution of the oceans, including marine litter, threatens wildlife, hinders human activities and reduces the recreational value of our coasts. Marine litter affects all groups of marine wildlife through effects such as entanglement and ingestion. Various initiatives to reduce litter in the (marine) environment are running or are currently under discussion. Despite management measures to decrease the input of litter and to remove litter from the environment, litter is still found in monitoring of the seafloor. This report presents the seafloor litter composition, abundance and spatial distribution based upon catches of the regular fish surveys, the IBTS and the Dutch Beam Trawl Survey (BTS). Only the catches on the Dutch Continental Shelf (DCS) are used for data analysis. To assess the status of seafloor litter on the DCS, the Dutch data are supplemented with those from international partners surveying the DCS within the IBTS. The seafloor litter catches on the DCS consisted mainly of plastic items: 90% (IBTS) and 89% (BTS) of the litter items found were made of plastic. Monofilaments, plastic sheets and various types of (plastic) ropes/lines ...