Plastic straws; why bother?

One common occurrence of plastic pollution on a beach is the humble(?) straw. 50-60 years ago we used to have paper straws that would degrade and before that we simply took a sip from a glass. Is it time to re-think getting sucked in by trends?

This initiative is a good one.



We can do better, protect our seas better.

www.ausmepa.org.au

Seabin

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What agreement oversights pollution over the entire ocean?

Wikipedia says:

"The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which took place between 1973 and 1982. The Law of the Sea Convention defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with respect to their use of the world's oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources. The Convention, concluded in 1982, replaced four 1958 treaties. UNCLOS came into force in 1994, a year after Guyana became the 60th nation to sign the treaty.^[1] As of January 2015, 166 countries and the European Union have joined in the Convention."

That's a lot of territory! We'd like to focus on the marine environment for a moment. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO), in consideration of a major industry on the sea:

"Shipping – which transports about 90% of global trade – is, statistically, the least environmentally damaging mode of transport. Moreover, set against land-based industry, shipping is, overall, a comparatively minor contributor to marine pollution from human activities." 

see more here

They further advise that there are 51 treaty agreements for shipping here and 21 relate to the environment.

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) is IMO's senior technical body on marine pollution related matters for instance the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) in 1973.  

MARPOL has been instrumental in reducing the number of oil spills and a wider range of measures to prevent marine pollution including pollution from chemicals, other harmful substances, garbage, sewage and air pollution and emissions from ships.

Compliance on an international scale relies on all countries working together to ensure standards are met. There is some debate about compliance here and also thoughts about how to mitigate increased shipping emissions for the future here .

Holiday Waste; cultural shift and re-gifting

Apart from extracting too much, the major thing troubling our oceans is what we are putting into it - waste!

Holidays can be exciting and wonderful times to show you care for family and friends but what happens to the waste? Packaging, plastics and paper can be overwhelming, requiring skill and good recycling management. However this is not the only excess we need to consider.

Is there anyone anywhere who can boast that they've never received a gift that just doesn't fit into their lives. Unwanted gifts, what do you do with them? Throw them out? Perhaps you put the gift on a shelf to collect dust or stash it in a drawer only to throw out months or years later? If the gift is really the generosity of the thought rather than the object then why not keep the continuity of that concept going? 

It is time for a cultural shift. Rather than storing up unwanted gifts whose ultimate destination is an over-stressed tip we can all embrace the re-gift. You might not have been the right one for the gift but maybe someone else is. Who might that gift be a better fit for than you, could it be creatively modified to suit or perhaps even keep it in reserve as the perfect prank gift. It is worth considering keeping the gift giver's name and the packaging intact to avoid mistakes.

Wind and water carry holiday wastes to the sea

In our lives we are all trying to consider how to keep the waste in time, materials and money under control. If we are looking after the world, mitigating the flow of our waste into the oceans means mitigating the waste in our lives and doing some things differently. It is, after all, the thought that counts.

Here are a few links for more ideas:

• Interesting stories about re-gifting? http://www.regiftable.com/

• How to recycle your unwanted Christmas presents: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/6873912/How-to-recycle-your-unwanted-Christmas-presents.html

• Ten Incredible Recycled Presents: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/16/christmas-gifts-2010-10-i_n_795174.html#s204550title=From_Glam_Gam

www.ausmepa.org.au

SPOTLIGHT ON: SeaWeb as a learning resource

Students, teachers and seafarers wishing to look beyond the AUSMEPA curriculum units on Marine Pests and Threats and Marine Stormwater Pollution for further information may find SeaWeb an excellent resource.

Although US based, SeaWeb are exclusively dedicated to communicating workable, science-based solutions to ocean threats. These threats are largely common throughout the entire marine environment.

They have five newsletters and of note is the Marine Science Review, providing citations and abstracts from influential marine science research.

An extract from the Marine Science Review in July 2013 (below) focuses on Introduced Species with research information about pollution from ship ballast and hulls.

July 9, 2013

Introduced Species

• Invasion Science
• Invasiveness
• Occurrence and Establishment
• Vectors and Pathways
• Ballast Water: Issues and Management
• Impacts
• Introduced Species and Climate Change
• Introduced Species and Disease
• Management

Also of note within the SeaWeb Resources page is the Ocean Issue Briefs page with the following links of note on land-based pollution topics.  

Marine Pollution

• Chemical Pollution and Marine Mammals (2008)
• Contaminated Sediments (2004)
• The Gulf of Mexico 'Dead Zone' (2008)
• Harmful Algal Blooms and Toxins (2007)
• Marine Arctic Contamination (2000)
• Marine Debris (2008)
• Nonpoint Source Pollution and Coastal Environments (2000)
• Nutrients (2002)
• Ports & Dredging (2004)
• Toxic Chemical Pollution (2002)

www.ausmepa.org.au

GHOST NETS 2004-2009; Summary Report from Australia's northern shores

Article taken from GNA news issue 5 

Ghost Nets Australia (GNA) Summary Report Between 2004 and 2009, Ghost Nets Australia (GNA) rangers removed and recorded 6,035 nets of varying sizes across approximately 1500km of north Australian coastline. The data that rangers recorded from these nets built into such a large database that GNA thought it was about time to get it published! So in the middle of this year, the data was collated into a summary report that gives an indication of the type and origins of the nets, as well as highlighting the impact that they have on the marine environment. All this data highlighted distinct patterns showing the accumulation of nets in certain areas, or net ‘hotspots.’ These hotspots are predominantly found in the north-eastern and north-western corners of the Gulf and are the reason why the rangers in those areas are working so hard to clear their beaches! By matching the nets found to examples in the ‘Net Kit’, compiled by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), an indication of both their type of fishery and the country from which they originated has been possible. The most frequently recorded nets were trawl nets and came from Taiwan and Indonesia. Ghost nets are a threat to many marine animals, particularly turtles (of which six of the world’s seven species are found in north Australian waters).  The nets recorded by GNA contained fish, crabs, sharks, sea snakes, crocodiles, dugong and over 100 turtles.  Unfortunately, the true number of animals caught in nets could be expected to be significantly higher than that recorded, as the passage of time may see many of the trapped animals decay out of the net before they are found. The results of the summary report confirm what rangers have been saying for many years - ghost nets are a huge problem in north Australia. It is only through the hard work that rangers do to record and remove the nets that people will understand the problem and change can happen. The GhostNets team would like to send a big thank you to all the rangers who recorded this data, to everyone who helped put this document together and to those who have helped make the program a success. Copies of the 2004-2009 GNA Summary Report can be found on the GhostNets Australia websitewww.ghostnets.com.au

www.ausmepa.org.au

GHOST NETS AUSTRALIA: Dealing with debris

An article taken from GNA issue 5 here

From GNA newsletter here

Since 2010 Ghost Nets Australia (GNA) has expanded our work to a broader issue of marine debris, we did this as a normal response after clearing the beach of nets, naturally moving on to the rest of the rubbish brought in by the tides. In doing this we became part of a global movement to combat marine litter. 

We’ve discovered that this rubbish issue is bigger than our scope and wish to introduce a partner “Tangaroa Blue” who works with community groups to clean beaches and record information about this rubblish.  Heidi Taylor is the founder of Tangaroa Blue and talks about how her organisation came about;

Once you start picking up marine debris on the beach, it's hard to walk past any item that shouldn't be there. Back in 2004 walks along Ellensbrook Beach in the south west of Western Australia meant coming back with armfuls of rubbish, so we started taking bags with us, and always managed to fill those, and so we started organising beach clean ups. And guess what? We never come back with an empty rubbish bag.....

That's when Tangaroa Blue Ocean Care Society was formed and launched The Australian Marine Debris Initiative. And by 2011 more than 6500 volunteers along 500 coastal sites around  Australia have removed well over 650,000 bits of marine debris. Now not only did we want to remove the debris from the coast to ensure that it wouldn't entangle or be ingested by marine life and seabirds, but we collected data on exactly what we were finding, and this is all housed in the National Marine Debris Database.

The goal for the database is to provide information and evidence on what is being washed up at different sites around Australia and New Zealand, which can then be used to help trace the items back to the source, and ultimately to find practical ways of stopping those items from ending up in the marine enviornment in the first place.
Communities, industry groups, government agencies, schools and individual volunteers have joined the Australian Marine Debris Initiative by adopting a section of coastline on which to run regular marine debris monitoring clean ups and clean up materials, training & support and educational materials are all provided for those who register.

For more information on how to get involved visit www.oceancare.org.au or email heidi@oceancare.org.au

Teachers wishing to incorporate marine studies into their teaching plans AUSMEPA has units of work on Marine Stormwater Pollution here and Student Leadership here, which may assist in getting students working with community projects like these.

www.ausmepa.org.au

MARINE PHOTOBANK: OCEAN CONSERVATION PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Marine Photobank is an excellent site for those of us who don't have a good selection of photos depicting marine issues and might need them for educational purposes. "The Marine Photobank, a program of SeaWeb, advances ocean conservation by collecting and providing compelling, high-quality marine photos, images and graphics at no cost for non-commercial use as well as for media use under special terms. The Marine Photobank aims to illuminate through photographic imagery pressing marine issues and human-related impacts on the ocean."  www.marinephotobank.org

Sharks Highlighted in Winning Photograph

WASHINGTON, DC—SeaWeb’s Marine Photobank today announced the winners of the fourth annual Ocean in Focus conservation photography contest. Photographers from around the world submitted their most compelling images illustrating human impacts on marine ecosystems, as well as images that inspire hope for ocean health. The Ocean in Focus grand prize is awarded to Terry Goss, of San Francisco, California, for his photograph of a blue shark off the coast of Rhode Island with a rusted hook protruding from its lower jaw. 


 "Photography is an impactful storytelling tool to illuminate and connect viewers with issues that are difficult to envision, such as those beneath the ocean's surface," said Dawn M. Martin, President of SeaWeb. “The Ocean in Focus contest enables people to see the impacts of their everyday life on the ocean, and inspire positive interaction with this life-giving resource.”


The steel circle hook with heavy monofilament line shown in the winning image is from a longline fishing vessel. Longline fishing can result in the bycatch of non-target species such as sharks, turtles and seabirds. While the introduction of circle hooks, like the one shown in the photo, has reduced the incidence of bycatch, it is still imperfect. In a recent study, Ward et al. (2008)* found that replacing wire leaders (such as the one in the image) with monofilament line increased the catchability of target species while decreasing shark catch rates by 58%. The issue of protecting sharks, an apex predator of the ocean, has been garnering support this year in the media due to governmental actions taken by several state and national governments, particularly around shark finning.


“It’s hard to easily understand that ocean health is critical for our survival.  Photographs can create an indelible impression which touches the heart as well as the brain and helps us seek the understanding we need,” Sven-Olof  Lindblad, founder of Lindblad Expeditions.

The runner-up for the Ocean in Focus contest is Peri Paleracio of Quezon City, the Philippines, for his picture of a boat in the Philippines with plastic and trash pollution suspended in the water. This over-under shot illustrates the often-unseen view of the impact of littering on the ocean. 


Marine debris, especially plastic, is a major issue in the ocean for myriad reasons. Seabirds commonly ingest plastics and feed them to their young, mistaking the debris for food, which may result in injury or death due to starvation, malnutrition and entanglement, among other impacts. This is also a serious problem for many fish species and baleen whales, which consume plastics and introduce harmful toxins into the food chain. Virtually all plastic that has been produced to date still exists in some form due to its long decomposition rate.


Winning images and other submissions for the 2011 contest can be viewed at and downloaded from the Marine Photobank for free non-commercial, educational use by conservationists, teachers, researchers, students, and in some cases, the media, to enlighten others and raise awareness around the threats facing the ocean all over the planet. 


SeaWeb is an international, nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to using the science of communications to transform people’s relationship with the ocean. www.seaweb.org  

Teachers:  The Australian Marine Environment Protection Association (AUSMEPA) provides several topics from Marine Pests and Threats to Marine Stormwater Pollution. Free online teaching units here. 


Let's all get Ocean Literate!

www.ausmepa.org.au

5th International Marine Debris Conference 20-25 March 2011

The 5th International Marine Debris Conference will take place March 20-25, 2011 in Honolulu, HI, U.S.A.  here

Waves of Change: Global lessons to inspire local action

Date: March 20-25, 2011

Location: Honolulu, Hawai‘i, USA

Co-organizers: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United Nations Environment Programme

It is our hope that this conference will open a new chapter in the field of marine debris by reinvigorating our efforts, providing new tools and information, and inspiring innovation. This new era relies on sharing across borders—building upon successes, taking away lessons from others’ experiences, and working towards common goals. This conference is being designed with a variety of tracks, themes, and session types, with all paths leading to the shared goal of moving forward, globally and locally, in combating the economic and environmental impacts of marine debris.http://www.5imdc.org/program/abstracts/

STRING BALL OF OCEAN RUBBISH

At the moment beaches near Brisbane are bringing up some very odd pieces of land-based refuse and plastic from the major flooding that has occurred in January.


If you are a teacher or concerned community member and are looking for a novel way to raise awareness of ocean debris in your school or community, this might be the right time to start an ocean rubbish string ball as suggested by SOAR here. A collection of string balls might make a terrific focal point for a conversation/communication piece on ocean pollution.


If you are suggesting this activity to students, in particular, safety is very important! Debris may have sharp bits on them or under them and hands must be washed after touching things from the beach. 


Teachers looking for a unit on Marine Pollution to bring the point home are welcome to use the free online materials provided by AUSMEPA here.

TED TALK: Dianna Cohen: Tough truths about plastic pollution | Video on TED.com

Dianna Cohen: Tough truths about plastic pollution | Video on TED.com

http://www.ted.com/talks/dianna_cohen_to...

TED Talks Artist Dianna Cohen shares some tough truths about plastic pollution in the ocean and in our lives -- and some thoughts on how to free ourselves from the plastic gyre.

This really is the bottom line regarding plastics. We must refuse them whenever and wherever possible.There will be some trade-offs. We need to take a step back in time in order to regain our footing. For me the bin liners are a killer. If you have ideas for dealing with kitchen needs send them to me or post a comment on this article. 

Some of the things we can do:

Purchase goods in glass jars and save them for food storage in the fridge.

Use a dish to cover over food in the fridge rather than plastic wrap

There are so many reasons not to use plastics in the freezer but alernatives are challenging -- use foil containers and then reuse them for as long as you can.

If your premises can't manage a compost bin then you might trial digging a small hole in the garden and bury the food waste progressively - it would keep the garden turned over too.


FOR TEACHERS:
AUSMEPA has a free online Marine Pollution unit of work for middle year students. Click here for more

Ultramarine - Seahorses

Ocean images often trigger discussion around protection. Here is an Ultramarine YouTube clip of some iconic ocean animals that need our thought, consideration and protection.

Seahorses don't have a tail fin, in fact they are decidedly short of fins. Their heads bend forward and don't line up with their backbone, as it does in other fish, giving them a horsey look. They suck food up through their long straw-like mouths after snapping their tiny jaws shut. Their body armour is made up of scales fused together, a less than appetizing meal for many would be predators. It doesn't help, though, for their biggest problem is people.

All around the world seahorses are loved and collected, either for Asian medicine or keepsakes. Living in shallow coastal waters these little fish are subjected to habitat degradation from land-based activities. Stormwater run-off quality is an often cited  reason. Teachers wishing to incorporate studies on keeping our coastal waters clean will be inspired by AUSMEPA's free online education materials related to Marine Stormwater Pollution - here.

The Majestic Plastic Bag - A Mockumentary

It is really easy to focus on shocking news events that show us stunning and frightening images like the Deep Water Hoizon tragedy. It is much harder to keep our focus on the things creating marine pollution that fall within our own sphere -- the continuous plastic pollution rolling into the sea day after day, month after month, year after endless year. The only real difference between the two is the time frame and the long term impact.


Teachers wishing to include a study of marine pollution into their planning can click here to enter AUSMEPA's Marine Stormwater Pollution unit of work.

AUSMEPA MEDIA RELEASE: Plastic bottles and plastic bags pose one of the greatest threats to our seas and oceans

We have all heard this cry so many times before and tend to dismiss it as somebody else’s problem. Thankfully, at long last, something is being done which if adopted will reduce plastic bottles and plastic bags ending up in the sea and destroying our valuable marine life.


Michael Julian, Executive Director of the Australian Marine Environment Protection Association (AUSMEPA) said today he was very pleased that Federal and State governments were beginning to seriously tackle the problems caused by plastic bottles and bags ending up in the sea and killing a range of marine life from turtles to whales which swallow these items mistaking them as a food surce.

AUSMEPA strongly supports the initiative of the Federal and State governments in announcing a move towards a national scheme for a deposit levy on cans and containers referred to as CDL, which will include plastic bottles.

The Environment Protection and Heritage Council agreed last month to undertake the development of a Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) which will be based on the substantial work already completed on options to address environmental impacts and the reduction of litter from packaging wastes such as beverage containers. However, the RIS will go beyond just a Container Deposit Levy and look at other options to reduce the environmental impact of discarded packaging.

AUSMEPA also congratulates the Northern Territory government which will be joining South Australia in the banning of plastic bags used by shops and supermarkets. The Northern Territory announced this week that it will ban the use of plastic bags from the middle of next year; the ban will be phased in over 4 months and will help reduce the 40 million plastic bags used in the Territory. Mr. Julian said this should happen right across Australia not just in those proactive States and Territories which have already taken this action, pollution of the sea knows no boundaries.

The disposal of packaging material is a global problem, the Asian Development Bank has announced the work it is doing to reduce major litter pollution in the Citarum River in Indonesia. A video clip on U-Tube which can be seen on the AUSMEPA Oceans Whispers Blog site http://ausmepa.blogspot.com/ tells the horrifying story.

David de Rothschild recently drew international attention to the problem of pollution and the considerable harm to the marine environment caused by plastic bottles when he sailed his boat “Plastki”, made with 12,500 plastic bottles, across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Sydney.

Michael Julian fully endorses David de Rothschild’s comments that governments have to step up their endeavours in reducing the community’s reliance on plastic. Mr. de Rothschild said voters need to rediscover people power to force change and bring about real and meaningful policies to help the planet.

He said it is well known that 80% of the pollution in the sea comes from the land and we all have a responsibility to do much more to stop this happening.

In an effort to make Australians more aware of the problems of litter and chemicals getting into stormwater drains AUSMEPA has developed an educational unit of work for schools titled Marine Stormwater Pollution which is freely available for all middle year students at schools throughout Australia from AUSMEPA’s website ( see http://www.ausmepa.org.au/marine-stormwater-pollution/ ), a free poster which highlights the problems of storm water pollution is available on request. The simple message from this education unit is what you put down your drains can end up in the sea.

For more information about AUSMEPA and the suite of marine environment education units of work, please visit the AUSMEPA website http://www.ausmepa.org.au/

To find our more information on Plastiki http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3Sb3TGuxss&feature=channel

Riders on the Stormwater

Water seeks its own level and it takes pollution hitchikers with it. From the time water is drawn up into the sky through evaporation it begins its search for a way back to its lowest point - the sea. When raindrops fall they create millions of tiny explosions. Falling on mountains, forests, fields and towns the rain water either sinks into the ground or begins to slide into folds and creases in the land to form rivulets and streams.

Stormwater run-off sinks into ephemeral wetlands, or collects in lakes or is channeled into stormwater drains that eventually spill out into rivers or directly to ocean outfalls. Scientific reports advise that between 80-95% of marine pollution comes from the land. Stormwater drags with it harmful pollution from a wide range of daily human activities. This fated journey coupled with the amazing natural cleansing properties of water is the perfect pollution transportation system. 

Teachers!  Looking for activities and resources on Stormwater run-off click here to go to AUSMEPA's unit on Marine Stormwater Pollution. 

Are some oceans or seas more polluted than others? Try Googling 'polluted oceans' for more links

Microplastic pollution in the ocean - washing our hands of it

I recently visited the south west coast of the United States and met with the author of a news article that has generated some interest. Judith Garfield, writing for the La Jolla Village News, outlined a source of plastic pollution that I had never considered -- micro plastics specifically designed for our use and simply washed down the drain.
At this point people are fairly aware that waste packaging let loose on the land finds it's way into the ocean via stormwater run-off. Unbeknownst to folks like me micro plastics are also  negotiating their way into the ocean through common everyday activities. It seems that many skin care products liberally used by millions of people from soap and skin scrubs to hand cleansers and shower gels have tiny plastic beads.
The particles (see photo on left) are as small as grains of sand and are smaller than water treatment facilities can capture. These tiny grains, polyethylene beads, then are whooshed out into the ocean. Once in the water they are mistaken for food by small creatures. Subsequently these micro plastics enter the food chain and there is every reason to believe they will end up on our dinner plates at some point in the future.
Having this information gives us another opportunity to actively care for the health of our ocean and ourselves through diligent observation of labels. Making skin care and soap purchase choices that favour exfoliants extracted from natural sources, fruits, seeds, nuts, grains, pumice will send a message to the manufacturers that we are prepared to face this problem. These actions will also lay down a challenge for manufacturers to make better choices too.