Thriving Oceans

The heavy rains currently beating down on the East San Francisco Bay Area has reminded me about the incredible amount of debris that will be entering our waterways and oceans.  We are all aware of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but there is an enormous amount of other debris that is left to surf the waves.  Take for instance fishing nets.  Unattended and discarded fishing nets pose danger to the entire ocean system, even whales.  Check out the following pictures from The Marine Mammal Center and the results of their necropsy of a dead sperm whale recovered in March 2008.

“On March 16, The Marine Mammal Center’s Director of Veterinary Science, Dr. Frances Gulland, assisted in the necropsy of a 51-foot-long sperm whale that  had washed up on a beach near Tomales Point in Point Reyes, CA. When the necropsy team reached the animal’s internal organs, they discovered nearly 450 pounds of fishing net, mesh, braided rope, plastic bags, and even a plastic comb in the whale’s stomach.“

The Marine Mammal Center, August 2008

Photo: Chris Whittier

Photo: Chris Whittier

In honor of International Coastal Cleanup Day 2009!

California Coastal Cleanup Day
Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup

International Coastal Cleanup Day is Sept. 19, 2009 – Marine debris is any man-made, solid material that enters our waterways directly or indirectly. A problem that not only damages our marine and coastal ecosystems, litter that finds its way into the environment affects wildlife as well as beach goers  Nearly 80% of debris, found on beaches, coastal waters, estuaries, and oceans, is washed, blown, or dumped from shore, while 20% is from recreational boats, ships, fishing vessels, and ocean platforms.

Cigarette butts, soda cans, plastic bags, and fishing gear are slow to degrade and present horrific problems to the life they encounter. Studies have shown that marine debris threatens over 265 different species of marine and coastal wildlife through entanglement, smothering, and interference with digestive systems.

Whether a small or large-scale polluter, the litter entering our seas and oceans is reducing fish and wildlife populations.  In fact, the cumulative impact of continuous, small-scale pollution can be dramatic.  The increase in the use of various kinds of plastic as durable, lightweight packaging has heightened the need for proper management and disposal.  Because of the abundance of plastic in our daily lives, it is of no surprise that it is ubiquitous in our world’s oceans.

Besides the threats to wildlife, certain types of marine debris, such as broken glass and medical waste wash-ups, can pose a serious threat to public health.  This type of debris and pollution has resulted in beach closures and swimming advisories that have robbed coastal communities of significant tourism dollars.

So go beach combing this weekend and forget the shells…GET THAT TRASH AND SAVE WILDLIFE!

California Coastal Cleanup Day
Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup

The plastic kick continues…Once in a while it is great to just sit back and relax after a full day of outside chores.   How about a host of new species and a little ocean education with National Geographic’s “Into the Abyss”? All was going well as the cameras catapulted me to a world of darkness filled with sea creatures many of us only imagine would appear on the SciFi Channel.  And with only 10 minutes remaining in the show’s hour allotment I was eagerly awaiting the climax as the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) descended to a depth of 9200 feet in the Celebes Sea, just off the Philippines.  What kind of giant fish or incredible invertebrates were we going to witness for the first time as the ROV scooted along the bottom?  And there it was, humankind once again setting a precedence, a huge pile of plastic and other trash littering the ocean depths.  ‘Twas not the  ending I had expected, but a finale easily predicted with so much garbage entering our seas.

Check it out for yourself!

The 10 most common debris items found worldwide during the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup in September:

Cigarettes and filters: 3,216,991

Plastic bags: 1,377,141

Food wrappers and containers: 942,620

Caps and lids: 937,804

Plastic bottles: 714,892

Paper bags: 530,607

Straws and stirrers: 509,593

Cups, plates and cutlery: 441,053

Glass bottles: 434,990

Drink cans: 401,412

Source: Ocean Conservancy