Pocket Guide To Marine Debris

POCKET GUIDETO MARINEDEBRISThe Ocean Conservancy promoteshealthy and diverse ocean ecosystems and opposes practicesthat threaten ocean life and humanlife. Through research, education,and science-based advocacy, The Ocean Conservancy informs,inspires, and empowers people tospeak and act on behalf of theoceans. In all its work, The OceanConservancy strives to be theworld’s foremost advocate for the oceans.The International Coastal Cleanupengages people to remove trashand debris from the world’s beachesand waterways, to identify thesources of debris, and to changethe behaviors that cause pollution.© 2005, The Ocean ConservancyThis document was first published in 1993. Funding for the originalpreparation of this document was provided by the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA).Printed on chlorine-freerecycled paper.TABLE OFCONTENTSIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1How to Use This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Quick Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Shoreline CleanupUnderwater CleanupEstimating Weights and Distances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7The World of Marine Debris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Activities That Produce Debris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Sample Data Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Items Listed on the Data Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Debris Items of Local Concern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Potentially Hazardous Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Stranded or Entangled Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Natural Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Peculiar Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Other Volunteer Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29National Marine Debris Monitoring ProgramRECONStorm Drain SentriesOcean Action NetworkOcean WildernessMore Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30INTRODUCTIONarine and other aquatic debris is more than anunsightly inconvenience for beach-bound vacationersor pleasure boaters; it is one of the world’s most M pervasive pollution problems affecting our waterways.By the simple process of moving from ship to sea, sewer to surf,or hand to sand, any manufactured material becomes marinedebris. Cigarette and cigar filters, fishing line, disposable diapers,tampon applicators, six-pack holders, bottles and cans, syringes,tires — the litany of litter is as varied as the products available inthe global marketplace, but it all shares a common origin. At acritical point, someone, somewhere, mishandled it — either deliberately or thoughtlessly. Every piece of litter has a person’sface behind it. Aesthetically, marine debris looks terrible and can have a majoreffect on the tourist industry in waterfront communities. Moreimportantly, thousands of marine animals die each year frombecoming entangled in debris or from consuming it, thinking thatit is food. Marine debris can also pose human health and safetyconcerns. Serious injury can occur by stepping on a sharp pieceof glass or metal, or worse yet, a discarded syringe. When marinedebris gets caught in propellers, motors, and other machinery ofcommercial and recreational boats and ships, consumers paymore for products and services at the marketplace. Many debrisitems such as syringes, condoms, and tampon applicators arevisual indicators of more serious water quality issues. 1Congress has enacted laws to limit the dumping of garbage fromboats and to help control land-based sources of marine debris,such as stormwater systems and combined sewer systems.Citizens have also made great efforts in fighting this problemthrough beach cleanups across the country and all over the world.The Ocean Conservancy acts as the coordinator for the annualInternational Coastal Cleanup (ICC). Volunteers clean beachesand collect information on what they find so that sources ofmarine debris can be targeted for education or pollution prevention campaigns. Proper data collection is extremely important. Each year TheOcean Conservancy analyzes data cards used by over 900,000volunteers and the results of the analysis become a powerful tool in finding the sources of marine debris, helping to identify solutions, and developing effective pollution control strategies tohelp prevent the problem.HOW A GOOD IDEA GREWSince its first beach cleanup in 1986 in Texas, The OceanConservancy and its international and state partners have turnedthe International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) into a global effort devoted to the marine environment. The first campaign broughtout 2,800 volunteers who filled 7,900 trash bags with 124 tons of debris from 122 miles of Texas shoreline. Cumulatively, since the International Coastal Cleanup began, it has included all 55 U.S. states and territories and 118 countriesbordering every major body of water on Earth. In developing anddeveloped nations; in frigid, temperate, and tropical climes; and intime zones that span the globe, 4.7 million people have collectedmore than 70 million pounds of debris from over 114,000 milesof shoreline!Most cleanups take place on the third Saturday of September, oras close to that date as possible, and all are characterized by thesame, amazing phenomenon: people of all ages, income levels,and from all walks of life coming together for three hours with asingle purpose — to rid their beaches and waterways of unsightlyand dangerous debris.This book is designed to serve as a reference to standardize terminology for marine debris items and to help volunteers identify unknown debris items. 2HOW TO USETHIS BOOKThis pocket guide provides the basic background information youneed to participate in a beach cleanup. Be sure to read the QuickTips to know what you should bring, and to prepare yourself forany situation that may occur while you are on the beach, whetherit be handling sharp objects or reporting a stranded animal.As you are conducting your beach cleanup, you will discover thatjust about anything can be found on a beach! There are severalhazardous items, natural items, and other debris that may not belisted on the International Coastal Cleanup Data Card. Volunteersshould clean up all debris they find on the beach, but recordonly the items listed on the Data Card. Familiarize yourself with the Items Listed on the Data Card.This will make data collection easier when you are on the beach.People often work in teams with several volunteers collectingdebris items while one person records the data. Data collection is extremely important. If volunteers since 1986had never categorized and counted the debris items that theyfound, beach cleanups would have just faded away. Volunteer datacollection efforts have continued to change the way people thinkabout the ocean and its ability to handle society’s wastes!3QUICKTIPSSHORELINECLEANUPSafety First!■ Stay away from largedrums or five-gallonbuckets. Report their location to thecleanup coordinator or proper authorities.■ Wear gloves to collect the debris.■ Be careful of glass,syringes, or other sharp objects.■ Don’t lift anything heavy.■ Stay out of dune areas. ■ Avoid stepping on dune plants and beach grasses.■ Watch for and avoid wildlife.■ Notify your beach captain immediately if you see any stranded,injured, or entangled animals.Things to Bring■ Plenty of water■ Sunscreen and a hat to protect yourself from the sun■ Insect repellent■ Shoes or sneakers to protect your feet■ A camera to document volunteers in action and any strangeitems you may find■ Work gloves or rubber glovesData Collection■ Review Data Card before starting! Read and follow all instructions.■ Clean up all debris found on your beach or shoreline; recordinformation only on the items listed on the Data Card. 4■ Collect data as a team, with one person recording informationon the Data Card, while the others collect and bag the trash.■ Count items in groups of five and record the total in the box.Example: IIII IIII II = 12■ Do not write words like “lots” or “many.” Use numbers only!■ Be as accurate as possible. The more accurate your information the better we can work to reduce and eliminatetrash and debris pollution.■ Don’t collect natural items like driftwood or seaweed.UNDERWATER CLEANUPSafety First!■ Follow all tips above for conducting a shoreline cleanup.■ Only experienced dive instructors or dive masters should serveas site coordinators.■ Check to ensure that all participating divers are certified in SCUBA. ■ Make sure divers are using complete, well-maintained, reliable equipment.■ Use the “buddy system”and follow all safe diving procedures.■ Wear gloves to protect hands.■ Do not try to salvageheavy or dangerousitems. ■ Avoid 55-gallon drums — report theirlocation to a marineenforcement agency. ■ Be sure to maintainproper buoyancythroughout the dive.Remember to factor in the weight of thedebris you are collecting. ■ Know and obey localdiving laws and regulations.5Preparation■ Know your waters!■ Conduct a dive site survey or orientation dive prior to the cleanup.■ Check for potential hazards.■ Check local tides and currents.■ Avoid contaminated waters and areas of heavy boat traffic.■ Choose cleanup sites that are fairly shallow and within the abilities of all participating divers.■ Notify your local medical rescue squad prior to the day of theevent to inform them of the activity, the exact location of thedive site, and expected number of participants.■ Establish an onshore or onboard dive monitoring team.■ Team consists of non-divers who will remain onshore or aboardthe boat during the entire underwater cleanup to monitor thedive and be prepared for any situation or emergency. ■ Team should have access to a cellular phone and local emergency rescue phone numbers. ■ Conduct a safety briefing with all participating divers beforeentering the water.■ Ensure that you cover all safety issues or concerns.■ Have divers sign a liability waiver.■ Know the exact number of divers participating in your underwater cleanup.■ Have a complete list of divers and their home contact information prior to the dive.■ Have each diver check in with the onshore or onboard monitoringteam or a dive coordinator when he or she has completed the dive.Data Collection■ Designate an onshore or onboard data collection team of non-divers.■ Team sorts and tabulates debris collected and brought in by divers.■ Team records all information on ICC Data Cards.■ Return Data Cards to The Ocean Conservancy or yourstate/territory or country coordinator as soon as possible forinclusion in the international marine debris database.Protect Underwater Life!■ Work slowly and carefully to prevent damage to underwater life.■ Avoid touching or standing on living organisms such as corals.■ Cut debris such as nets and fishing line from organisms suchas corals. Never pull it off!■ Do not remove debris covered by living organisms. Thedebris has become their home.6ESTIMATING WEIGHTSAND DISTANCESSince 1986, International Coastal Cleanup volunteers havereported removing more than 78.7 million pounds of debris from114,017 miles of shoreline in 118 countries. Properly estimatingand reporting the “Distance Cleaned” and “Total Estimated WeightCollected” is extremely important in the calculation and reportingof these numbers. Following are some simple guidelines and tips to help you record“Distance Cleaned” and “Total Estimated Weight Collected.”Estimating Distance CleanedRecord the “Distance Cleaned” in miles or kilometers.■ Estimate the longest linear length (i.e., from point A to pointB along the beach transect line) cleaned by the volunteers.Do not use area measurements, such as square feet, square miles, square kilometers, or acres.■ Use the following method to convert area measurements to linear distances:Number of square feet cleaned divided by 10 ft.* divided by 5280 ft. (1 mile) = linear miles cleaned*10 feet represents an average linear path cleaned by a volunteer (5 feet on each side of the person) Example 1: Volunteer reports cleaning 1-acre area. 1 acre = 43,560 ft243,560 ÷ 10 ÷ 5280 = 0.825 miles cleanedExample 2: Volunteer reports cleaning 5000 ft2 . 5000 ÷ 10 ÷ 5280 = 0.094 miles Estimating Weight CollectedRecord the “Total Estimated Weight Collected” in pounds orkilograms. To help you estimate, assume that: 1 “full” trashbag = 15 lbs. NOTE: A bag weighing more than 15 lbs. is too heavy for most volunteers to carry. 7