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“Monitoring sensu stricto includes the rigorous sampling of a biological, physical and/or chemical ecosystem component for a well-defined purpose and against a well-defined end-point ( McLusky and Elliott, 2004). That aim may be the detection of a trend or the

non-compliance with a threshold, standard, trigger value or baseline, thus leading to a well-defined (and agreed in advance) policy action ( De Jonge et al., 2006). In this way, aquatic and marine legislation worldwide requires adequate and rigorous monitoring at different spatial and temporal scales, such as in the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Oceans Policy (USA), the Oceans Act (Canada, Australia), the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) (Europe) ( Borja et al., 2008). Despite this, monitoring sensu lato Selleckchem ZD1839 Apitolisib cell line has achieved many other meanings, many of which now codified in the above legislation. In a previous Editorial, we identified 10 types of monitoring ( Elliott, 2011), covering everything from wide surveillance (for which a pre-determined endpoint may not have been defined), through operational monitoring (by an industry wanting to know or demonstrate its performance), to investigative monitoring (also called diagnostic monitoring, which is better regarded as applied research possibly to find

the cause of a measured effect). Although making the concepts of monitoring more complex, each of these 10 types has been defined for a purpose – again with an intent to aid in management, to provide relevant and timely information. U0126 manufacturer Similarly, we have indicated

the 18 characteristics of monitoring programmes and the indicators of change detected during those programmes ( Elliott, 2011). Hence, the need for a rigorous, scientifically and legally defendable approach and resulting data is clear. For example, most monitoring required by statutory agencies, especially that linked to conditions stipulated in licences/permits/consents/authorisations, have to stand up to legal scrutiny otherwise there will be legal challenges either on the developer (the industry or pollution discharger) or the regulator issuing the permissions to operate. Many Editorials and papers in Marine Pollution Bulletin have emphasised the importance of monitoring in marine waters (e.g. Tanabe, 1993, Pearce, 1998 and Wells and Sheppard, 2007). Our journal has published a total of 270 papers, having the word ‘monitoring’ in the title, since the first volume ( Holden, 1970) to the recent ones ( Purser and Thomsen, 2012). Despite the importance of monitoring, in terms of non-compliance with a threshold and the subsequent need for (expensive) policy and managerial actions, the current global economic crisis, and especially cuts in government spending, is leading many countries (and industries) trying to save money in their monitoring budgets.