Monitoring of the Baltic marine environment as part of the State Environmental Monitoring (SEM) has been carried out since 1991. Monitoring of the marine environment is conducted pursuant to art. 349 par. 3 of the Act - Water Law (Journal of Laws of 2017, item 1566) by the competent authority of the Environmental Protection Inspection. The Chief Inspector of Environmental Protection is the competent authority for monitoring of marine waters. Monitoring of transitional and coastal waters is carried out by voivodeship inspectors of environmental protection.

Until 2006, monitoring of Polish marine areas (POM) was carried out as part of the COMBINE (Coordinated Monitoring Program) monitoring program. Since 2007, transitional and coastal waters have been separated from POM, as defined water bodies in the Water Framework Directive (2000/56 / EC) of 23 October 2000.

The monitoring program, implemented as part of the monitoring, based on art. 349 par. 1 point 1) of the Act - Water Law, aims to obtain information on the state of the marine environment for the purpose of planning in water management and assessment of the achievement of environmental objectives for marine waters, as well as ongoing assessment of the environmental status of marine waters. The monitoring of the Baltic Sea is carried out in accordance with the current State Environmental Monitoring Program and the Sea Waters Monitoring Program.

In order to ensure regional coherence of the Polish marine waters monitoring program in the region of ​​the entire Baltic Sea, it is agreed at the regional level under the New "Convention on the Protection of the Baltic Sea" of April 9, 1992 (Helsinki Convention - HELCOM) (Journal of Laws of 2000 No. 28 item 346). The monitoring of the Baltic Sea is carried out in accordance with the Monitoring Manual.

The currently implemented Baltic Sea monitoring program also fulfills the requirements resulting from the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56 / EC of June 17, 2008. As to the scope of research, the marine waters monitoring program meets the scope specified in the Commission Decision 2010/477 / EU of September 1, 2010. In 2020, the Sea Water Monitoring Program is planned in accordance with the implementation schedule of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, under which the program will be adapted to Commission Decision 2017/848 / EU of 17 May 2017 establishing criteria and methodological standards for good environmental status sea ​​waters as well as specifications and harmonized monitoring and evaluation methods, and repealing Decision 2010/477 / EU.