Marine Debris Marine debris is any object found in the marine environment that does not naturally belong there. Most common are: plastic, glass, rubber, metal, paper, wood, cloth and discarded nets. The sources of marine debris include: beachgoers, storm sewers, commercial and recreational vessels, industrial facilities, waste disposal facilities, and offshore oil and gas platforms. Trash that is light-weight is more likely to become marine debris because water and wind easily transport it. 80% of all marine debris comes from land-based activities. The sources of all marine debris are people. People dump more than 14 billion pounds of garbage each year into the world's oceans. Plastics are especially dangerous as marine creatures ingest or are entangled in them. Most plastics do not decompose for hundreds and hundreds of years. Plastic debris sits like a silent time bomb waiting to kill marine life.
Thousands of marine mammals die from entanglement or ingestion of marine debris each year. Plastic bags are swallowed mistaken for food. Sharp objects that are ingested can pierce the intestinal tract or cause infection. Other debris, such as ghost nets can entangle animals so they are unable to swim for food or escape predators, or can strangle or drown marine life. In three recent ghost net clean ups, community groups in Wai'anae and Kane'ohe pulled nearly 7,000 pounds of nets and debris out of the water and off of the reefs.
What you can do
|
