Monitoring programmes and guidelines

The HELCOM Monitoring programmes, with associated monitoring guidelines, translate the general principles of the HELCOM Monitoring and Assessment Strategy into concrete specifications and requirements.  

Monitoring programmes provide a high-level overview of the parameters that are monitored and the spatial and temporal scope, as well as the degree of coordination between countries in carrying out the activity. The programmes are associated with specific assessment purposes. The Monitoring programmes are updated periodically, every six years.  

Monitoring guidelines provide detailed instructions on how to carry out monitoring activities.

The tables are grouped by the Baltic Sea Action Plan segments and EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and its eleven descriptors:

Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) segments

• Descriptor 1: Marine biodiversity 
• Descriptor 2: Non-indigenous species 
• Descriptor 3: Commercial fish and shellfish 
• Descriptor 4: Food webs 
• Descriptor 5: Eutrophication 
• Descriptor 6: Seabed integrity 
• Descriptor 7: Hydrographical conditions 
• Descriptor 8: Contaminants 
• Descriptor 9: Contaminants in seafood 
• Descriptor 10: Marine litter 
• Descriptor 11: Energy, including underwater noise 

Monitoring theme	Monitoring programme	Monitoring guidelines	Responsible Working Group	Expert Group
Birds	Marine breeding birds abundance and distribution		WG BioDiv	JWG Bird
	Marine wintering birds abundance and distribution	Guidelines for coordinated monitoring of wintering birds	WG BioDiv	JWG Bird
		HELCOM Monitoring guidelines for seabirds at sea
	Marine Bird Health		WG BioDiv	JWG Bird
	Fisheries by-catch	HELCOM Roadmap on fisheries data in order to assess incidental bycatch and fisheries impact on benthic biotopes in the Baltic Sea	WG Fish
Mammals	Marine mammals health status	Guidelines for monitoring reproductive status of seals in the HELCOM area	WG BioDiv	EG MaMa
	Seal abundance	Guidelines for monitoring Seal abundance and distribution in the HELCOM area	WG BioDiv	EG MaMa
	Harbour porpoise abundace		WG BioDiv	EG MaMa
	Fisheries by-catch	HELCOM Roadmap on fisheries data in order to assess incidental bycatch and fisheries impact on benthic biotopes in the Baltic Sea	WG Fish
Fish	Coastal fish	Guidelines for coastal fish monitoring	WG BioDiv	EG Coastal fish
	Offshore fish		WG Fish
	Migratory fish		WG Fish	EG Fish-M
	Commercial shellfish		WG Fish
Benthic habitats	Hardbottom species		WG BioDiv	EG Benthic
	Softbottom fauna		WG BioDiv	EG Benthic
	Softbottom flora		WG BioDiv	EG Benthic
	Habitat forming species and substrates		WG BioDiv	EG Benthic
	Seabed habitat physical characteristics		WG BioDiv	EG Benthic
	Benthic physical loss and damage		WG Sea-based pressures	EG Benthic
	Water column chemical characteristics	Guidelines for sampling and determination of dissolved oxygen	WG Source to Sea	EG Eutro
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of hydrogen sulphide
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of total alkalinity
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of pH
Pelagic habitats	Water column hydrological characteristics		WG Source to Sea	EG Eutro
	Water column physical characteristics	Guidelines for determination of salinity and temperature using CTD	WG Source to Sea	EG Eutro
		Guidelines for measuring turbidity
		Guidelines for measuring Secchi depth
	Ice		WG Source to Sea
	Water column chemical characteristics	Guidelines for sampling and determination of dissolved oxygen	WG Source to Sea	EG Eutro
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of hydrogen sulphide
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of total alkalinity
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of pH
		COMBINE Annex B17 Technical note on the determination of organic carbon in seawater​
	Pigments	Guidelines for measuring chlorophyll a	WG Source to Sea	EG Eutro
	Bacterioplankton	COMBINE Annex C11 Guidelines concerning bacterioplankton growth determination
		COMBINE Annex C12 Guidelines concerning bacterioplankton abundance determination
	Phytoplankton species composition, abundance and biomass	Guidelines for monitoring of phytoplankton species composition, abundance and biomass	WG BioDiv	EG Phyto
	Zooplankton species composition, abundance and biomass	Guidelines for monitoring of mesozooplankton	WG BioDiv	EG Zoo

Monitoring theme	Monitoring programmes	Monitoring guidelines	Responsible Working Group	Expert Group
Non-indigenous species	Non-indigenous species	Monitoring guidelines of target NIS using molecular methods	WG Sea-based pressures	JEG NIS
		Monitoring guidelines of NIS in biofouling, which are accessible by molecular methods
		Monitoring guidelines of NIS in ballast water of ships, which are accessible by molecular methods
		Monitoring guidelines of mobile and sessile epifauna
		Monitoring guidelines for marinas
		Monitoring guidelines for collecting citizen observations on NIS
		Guidelines for monitoring of non-indigenous species by eRAS
		Monitoring guidelines for collecting citizen observations on NIS

Monitoring theme	Monitoring programme	Monitoring guidelines	Responsible Working Group	Expert Group
Commercial fish and shellfish	Coastal fish	Guidelines for coastal fish monitoring	WG BioDiv	EG Coastal fish
	Offshore fish		WG Fish
	Migratory fish		WG Fish	EG Fish-M
	Commercial shellfish		WG Fish

Monitoring theme	Monitoring programme	Monitoring guidelines	Responsible Working Group	Expert Group
Food webs	Marine breeding birds abundance and distribution		WG BioDiv	JWG Bird
	Marine wintering birds abundance and distribution	Guidelines for coordinated monitoring of wintering birds	WG BioDiv	JWG Bird
		HELCOM Monitoring guidelines for seabird at sea
	Marine Bird Health		WG BioDiv	JWG Bird
	Marine mammals health status	Guidelines for monitoring reproductive status of seals in the HELCOM area	WG BioDiv	EG MaMa
	Seal abundance	Guidelines for monitoring Seal abundance and distribution in the HELCOM area	WG BioDiv	EG MaMa
	Harbour porpoise abundance		WG BioDiv	EG MaMa
	Coastal fish	Guidelines for coastal fish monitoring	WG BioDiv	EG Coastal fish
	Offshore fish		WG Fish
	Migratory fish		WG Fish	EG Fish-M
	Commercial shellfish		WG Fish
	Phytoplankton species composition, abundance and biomass	Guidelines for monitoring of phytoplankton species composition, abundance and biomass	WG BioDiv	EG Phyto
	Zooplankton species composition, abundance and biomass	Guidelines for monitoring of mesozooplankton	WG BioDiv	EG Zoo
	Hardbottom species		WG BioDiv	EG Benthic
	Softbottom fauna		WG BioDiv	EG Benthic
	Softbottom flora		WG BioDiv	EG Benthic

Monitoring theme	Monitoring programme	Monitoring guidelines	Responsible Working Group	Expert Group
Eutrophication	Nutrients	Guidelines for sampling and determination of total phosphorus	WG Source to Sea	EG Eutro
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of total nitrogen
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of silicate
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of phosphate
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of nitrite
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of ammonium
		COMBINE Annex C3 Sediment traps
	Nutrient inputs from atmosphere	HELCOM Recommendation 37-38/2-Rev.1 on monitoring of airborne pollution input	WG Source to Sea	EG RedCore
	Nutrient inputs from landbased sources	Guidelines for the annual and periodical compilation and reporting of waterborne pollution inputs to the Baltic Sea (PLC-Water)	WG Source to Sea	EG RedCore
	Nutrient inputs from seabased sources
	Hardbottom species		WG BioDiv	EG Benthic
	Softbottom fauna	Recommendations and guidelines for benthic habitat monitoring in the Baltic Sea	WG BioDiv	EG Benthic
		COMBINE Annex C8 Soft bottom macrozoobenthos
	Softbottom flora	COMBINE Annex C9 Guidelines for monitoring of phytobenthic plant and animal communities in the Baltic Sea	WG BioDiv	EG Benthic
	Water column physical characteristics	Guidelines for determination of salinity and temperature using CTD	WG Source to Sea	EG Eutro
		Guidelines for measuring turbidity
		Guidelines for measuring Secchi depth
	Water column chemical characteristics	Guidelines for sampling and determination of dissolved oxygen	WG Source to Sea	EG Eutro
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of hydrogen sulphide
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of total alkalinity
		Guidelines for sampling and determination of pH
	Pigments	Guidelines for measuring chlorophyll a	WG Source to Sea	EG Eutro
	Phytoplankton species composition, abundance and biomass	Guidelines for monitoring of phytoplankton species composition, abundance and biomass	WG BioDiv	EG Phyto
		COMBINE Annex C5 Phytoplankton primary production
		COMBINE Annex C5 Appendix 1​ Design and tests of a novel P-I incubator to be used for measuring the phytoplankton primary production in ICES monitoring studies   COMBINE Annex C5 Appendix 2 Light measurements and intercalibration of standard ICES incubators (second draft)   COMBINE Annex C5 Appendix 3 Irradiance Differentiation and Control in the ICES incubator

Monitoring theme	Monitoring programme	Monitoring guidelines	Responsible Working Group	Expert Group
Hydrographical conditions	Water column hydrological characteristics		WG Source to Sea	EG Eutro
	Water column physical characteristics	Guidelines for determination of salinity and temperature using CTD	WG Source to Sea	EG Eutro
		Guidelines for measuring turbidity
		Guidelines for measuring Secchi depth
	Ice		WG Source to Sea
	Seabed habitat physical characteristics		WG BioDiv	EG Benthic
	Benthic physical loss and damage		WG Sea-based pressures	EG Benthic

Monitoring theme	Monitoring programme	Monitoring guidelines	Responsible Working Group	Expert Group
Contaminants	Contaminant inputs from atmosphere	HELCOM Recommendation 37-38/2-Rev.1 on monitoring of airborne pollution input	WG Source to Sea	EG Haz
	Contaminant inputs from landbased sources	Guidelines for the annual and periodical compilation and reporting of waterborne pollution inputs to the Baltic Sea (PLC-Water)	WG Source to Sea	EG Haz
	Contaminants in water	Guideline on the determination of Perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) in seawater	WG Source to Sea	EG Haz
		Guidelines for the determination of persistent organic compounds (POPs) in seawater
		COMBINE Annex B11 Appendix 1​ Technical note on the determination of tracemetals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Co, Zn, Ni, Fe), including mercury, in seawater	WG Source to Sea	EG Haz
		Guidelines for Monitoring of Radioactive Substances	WG Source to Sea	EG MoRS
	Contaminants in sediment	Guideline for the determination of heavy metals in sediment	WG Source to Sea	EG Haz
		Guidelines for determination of chlorinated hydrocarbons in sediment
		Guidelines for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in sediment
		​ Guidelines for sampling sediment cores
		Guidelines for Monitoring of Radioactive Substances	WG Source to Sea	EG MoRS
	Contaminants in biota	COMBINE Annex B12 Appendix 3 Technical note on the determination of chlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in biota	WG Source to Sea	EG Haz
		COMBINE Annex B12 Appendix 2  Guidelines for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine biota
		Guidelines on PFAS/PFOS in biota
		Monitoring guideline on biological material sampling and sample handling for the analysis of persistent organic pollutants (PAHs, PCBs and OCPs) and metallic trace elements
		COMBINE Annex B12 Appendix 4 Technical note on the determination of trace metallic elements in biota
		COMBINE Annex B12 Appendix 5 Technical note on the determination of  total mercury in marine biota
		Guidelines for Monitoring of Radioactive Substances	WG Source to Sea	EG MoRS
	Imposex	COMBINE Part D Programme for monitoring of CONTAMINANTS  and their effects	WG Source to Sea	EG Haz
	Effects of contaminants	COMBINE Part D Programme for monitoring of CONTAMINANTS  and their effects	WG Source to Sea	EG Haz
	Acute pollution		WG Response
	Marine Bird Health		WG BioDiv	JWG Bird
	Marine mammals health status	Guidelines for monitoring reproductive status of seals in the HELCOM area	WG BioDiv	EG MaMa

Monitoring theme	Monitoring programme	Monitoring guidelines	Responsible Working Group	Expert Group
Contaminants in seafood	Contaminants in seafood		WG Source to Sea	EG Haz

Monitoring theme	Monitoring programme	Monitoring guidelines	Responsible Working Group	Expert Group
Marine litter	Macrolitter characteristics and abundance-volume-beach litter	Guidelines for monitoring beach litter	WG Sea-based pressures	EG Marine litter
	Macrolitter characteristics and abundance-volume-floating litter		WG Sea-based pressures	EG Marine litter
	Litter in biota		WG Sea-based pressures	EG Marine litter
	Litter on the seafloor		WG Sea-based pressures	EG Marine litter
	Microlitter particle abundance and characteristics	Guidelines on monitoring of microlitter in the water column in the Baltic Sea Guidelines on monitoring of microlitter in seabed sediments in the Baltic Sea Guidelines for monitoring microlitter in biota of the Baltic Sea: Bivalves	WG Sea-based pressures	EG Marine litter

Monitoring theme	Monitoring programme	Monitoring guidelines	Responsible Working Group	Expert Group
Underwater noise	Continuous noise	Guidelines for monitoring continuous noise	WG Sea-based pressures	EG Noise
	Impulsive noise		WG Sea-based pressures	EG Noise