Turn The Tide:  Protect Marine Wildlife From The Dangers Of Plastic

By Linda Hunter, Executive Director
Published: August 2006

An entangled Fur seal. Photo: Rolf Ream, NMML, NOAA.

Since the program started in 1985, nearly 700,000 Californians have removed more than 10 million pounds of debris from our state's shorelines and coast. When combined with the International Coastal Cleanup (also on September 16th) California Coastal Cleanup Day is part of one of the largest annual worldwide volunteer events.

Marine debris is a huge problem along shorelines, coastal waters, estuaries, and oceans around the world. Marine debris is any man-made, solid material that enters our waterways either directly (e.g., by dumping) or indirectly (e.g., washed out to sea via rivers, streams, storm drains, etc.). Objects ranging from detergent bottles, hazardous medical wastes, and discarded fishing line all qualify as marine debris. In addition to being ugly, it poses a serious threat to everything with which it comes into contact.

Marine debris can cause marine mammals to be cut or entangled in fishing line or derelict fishing gear. Seals and other Pinniped can become encircled with six pack rings or other plastic, hampering their ability to move or causing suffocation, strangulation and drowning.

Seabirds often ingest plastic while on foraging expeditions and feed it to their young. Birds such as albatross ingest so much plastic because of their habit of preying on the eggs of flying fish that lay long strings of garnet-colored eggs and attach them to objects floating at sea. Up until plastic became so ubiquitous in our oceans, the fish used floating bits of wood and pumice, but now plastic outnumbers natural floating material. As a result, adult albatrosses often take in plastic while gathering fish eggs. Laysan Albatrosses eat greater volumes and more varieties of plastics than any other seabirds - up to 50% of the indigestible material in an albatross' intestinal tract - causing starvation or death.

To read more about seabirds and plastics, click here:

http://kms.kapalama.ksbe.edu/projects/2003/albatross/

There are two different sources from which debris pollutes our oceans. The first is from the land and includes people visiting the beach, storm water-runoff, landfills, solid waste, rivers, and streams, floating structures, poorly maintained garbage bins and landfills and people who simply throw trash into the street or sand dunes. Marine debris also comes from combined sewer overflows, and storm drains. Typical debris from these sources includes medical waste, street litter and sewage. Land-based sources cause 80% of the marine debris found on our beaches and waters.

The second source of marine debris is from ocean sources, and this type of debris includes galley waste and other trash from ships, recreational boaters and fishermen and offshore oil and gas exploration and production facilities.

Development along the coasts adds to the problem of marine debris. More people means more paved area and wastes generated in coastal areas. These factors; combined with the growing demand for manufactured and packaged goods, have led to an increase in non-biodegradable solid wastes in our waterways.

In California last year, cigarettes, food wrappers and caps and lids accounted for over half of all the debris collected during the cleanup.

To view the results of last year’s “haul” of marine debris, click here:

http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8635

Some simple things that you can do to prevent debris from reaching the beach in the first place:

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

• Put litter where it belongs – in the trash (including cigarette butts!)

• Reject Styrofoam and excess packaging

• Participate in a beach cleanup

Our beach cleanup comes at the end of the summer beach season and right near the start of the school year.  Coastal Cleanup Day is a great way for families, students, and neighbors to join together, care for our fragile marine environment, show community support for our shared natural resources, learn about the impacts of marine debris and how we can prevent them, and to have fun!