New report on plastic debris in the CA. marine ecosystem released

New report on plastic debris in the CA. marine ecosystem released

by Dan Bacher

The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) has unveiled a new report entitled, “Plastic Debris in the California Marine Ecosystem: A Summary of Current Research, Solution Efforts and Data Gaps.”

"The OPC has identified marine debris as a critical issue for California’s ocean resources. In 2007, the OPC passed a resolution aimed at reducing ocean and coastal debris and its impacts on ecosystems," said Dr. Amber Mace, Executive Director, Ocean Protection Council. "That resolution identified the need to better understand the science of plastic marine debris in California."

"In response, the OPC commissioned a report to summarize the current state of research on the sources, abundance, pathways, and impacts of plastic debris in California, including a particular focus on the toxicology of plastics in seawater. The report is now complete and is available on the OPC website," said Mace.

The OPC tasked Ocean Science Trust (OST), a nonprofit organization dedicated to delivering the "best available science" to state managers and policymakers, with coordinating the report. To help ensure the utmost scientific rigor, OST partnered with USC Sea Grant, a known leader on the topic of water quality, in the production of the report.

"The report is an objective informational document intended to inform those interested in gaining a greater understanding of the current scientific and technical knowledge about the issue of plastic marine debris in California," said Mace. "By summarizing what is known and not known, this report is intended to help managers and policymakers determine the next steps in addressing this important issue."

Marine debris is defined as any persistent manmade object discarded, disposed of, or abandoned into the coastal or marine environment. In California, marine debris has been detected for decades on shore, floating on the surface or in the water column, and on the seafloor. A significant portion of marine debris, up to 80% in some places, is plastic.

"There are many biological, ecological, and economic impacts associated with plastic marine debris in the coastal and marine environment. This report documents the current state of research on the sources, abundance, pathways, and impacts of plastic debris in California, with a particular focus on the toxicology of plastics in seawater," concluded Mace.

The report concludes, "Finding solutions to the issues of marine debris in a state as large as California will likely involve a multi-faceted approach. In terms of the size of the plastics industry, shipments, and jobs, California is one the leading states in the country. Moreover, southern California has the largest concentration of plastic processors in the western U.S. Clearly, successful solutions will need careful coordination of information from industry, policy-makers, government agencies, scientists, and the public."

The release of the report occurs on the heels of many media reports about the “garbage patch,” an area of marine debris concentration in the North Pacific Ocean.

"The name 'garbage patch' has led many to believe that this area is a large and continuous patch of easily visible marine debris items such as bottles and other litter—akin to a literal blanket of trash that should be visible with satellite or aerial photographs," according to the NOAA website (http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html#1). "This is simply not true."

"While litter items can be found in this area, along with other debris such as derelict fishing nets, much of the debris mentioned in the media these days refers to small bits of floatable plastic debris. These plastic pieces are quite small and not immediately evident to the naked eye," NOAA explained.

For a copy of the report and more information, go to: http://www.opc.ca.gov/council-documents/.