The aim of the SAND16 oceanographic cruise was to study and characterize the deep marine structures, in particular the canyons along the continental margins, both from a biological and geological point of view. The data collected are used to study and define the following issues: anthropic impacts (marine litter), biodiversity of meiofauna, macrofauna and microbial fauna, seafloor integrity and interactions between organisms (trophic webs), prokaryotic diversity, identification of microorganisms using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), quantification and characterization of microplastics, study of the microbial biofilms associated with these microplastics, study of the morphology and sedimentary structures associated with canyons and submarine landslides along the continental margins. The survey areas were defined around the canyons of Tricase, Crotone and Squillace and the samples were collected upper of the canyons, in the middle and at the bottom and, as control points, in the adjacent areas outside the canyon system. During the cruise we were able to collect enough material to obtain important information on some of the eleven descriptors of the marine strategy, and specifically: biodiversity, sea floor integrity, food nets, marine litter. Furthermore, it will be possible to study microbial diversity, the presence of microplastics and associated bacteria. The geophysical survey of the areas studied was fundamental for the exploration strategy of the selected areas and in the definition of the sampling points. The acquired multibeam and chirp profiles also enrich the knowledge of the sedimentary systems associated with the continental margins.