Poster abstracts and manuscripts from the Third International ...

32
The total weight of litter items recorded from a beach clean-up
over a total distance of 17 kilometers of the beach amounted to
7.5 tons. More detailed analysis of 7 x 100 m subsamples within
the clean-up area were undertaken. These comprised 5,397 litter
items, representing 742 items per 100 m. Eight percent of the
total number of litter items was plastic material, followed by
13% glass, and 7% metal and other items. Packaging constituted
almost 80% of plastic items recorded, followed by 12% fishing
related items, and 8% miscellaneous items. The litter items
recorded were generated from land-based sources and the fishing
industry.
As plastic was found to be a dominant item in the sample, the
impact of this litter item on the dune meiofauna was
investigated. Although the impact of the plastic on the
meiofauna as a whole was relatively small, the dominant group,
nematodes; showed significant differences in abundance when
buried plastic was present.
This study highlights the possible impacts litter pollution could
have if allowed to accumulate unchecked in the dunefield.
Regular clearing of this area together with sustained enforcement
and monitoring of MARPOL Annex V, and local anti-litter campaigns
will help to maintain the scenic beauty of the area, as well as
the unique ecosystem.
Kirkley, James E. and Kenneth E. McConnell
Marine Debris for and by the Commercial Fishing Industry
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
While it is widely accepted by society that the commercial
fishing industry contributes to the problem of marine debris, it
is less well known that the fishing industry must also contend
with marine debris. For example, precious fishing time may be
reduced in some offshore fishing areas because vessel crew must
remove debris from the gear. In some other instances, debris may
even be quite hazardous to fishing crew (e.g., unspent
munitions). In this poster, a pictorial essay of illustrative
types of debris produced and encountered by industry is
presented. The pictures and information were obtained from seven
trips aboard commercial scallop vessels operating in the
northwest Atlantic between 1991 and 1993., Besides illustrating
industry's contribution to the debris problem, it is shown that
in the Assateague to Chincoteague area the U.S. military and the
federal government contribute substantially to marine debris in
the form of military hardware and plastics. Last, it is
suggested that bottle/can deposits may significantly reduce the
quantity of cans and plastic bottles in the marine environment.
Previous trips at sea revealed that fishermen harvested and
retained all cans and bottles that paid a return.