Poster abstracts and manuscripts from the Third International ...

Adcock, Walter
43
SESSION IV POSTERS
Sources of Marine Debris: Recreational Use
MARPOL and Clean the Bay Day
College of William and Mary, Hampton, Virginia, USA
Marine debris, particularly plastic waste, has been an age-old
contributor to the overall degradation of the marine environment.
Plastics, in the form of cigarette filters, caps and lids, food
bags, and straws have made up the majority of the debris that has
washed up along the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay in recent
years. The Convention for the Prevention of Pollution by Ships,
through the Marine Pollution Treaty, has created restrictions for
the dumping of waste in order to help preserve the quality of the
marine environment.
On December 31, 1988, Annex V of the Marine Pollution Treaty
(MARPOL) took effect - outlawing the dumping of plastics at sea.
A primary intent of the amendment was to stop further killings of
marine mammals and birds that have died as a result of the
presence of plastics in our oceans. Many have been known, for
example, to mistake certain types of plastics for food or become
helplessly entangled in stray fishing nets.
The effectiveness of Annex V, however, has come into question.
Since 1989, the Center for Marine Conservation, through its
annual beach cleanup known as the Clean the Bay Day, has
collected debris that has washed up along the shores of the
Chesapeake Bay. The majority of the trash collected during the
four years of the cleanup has been plastics. Plastics have
contributed to more than fifty percent of total debris collected
during the past two years. In addition to collecting debris, the
cleanup has been responsible for evaluating the waste, in part by
determining the sources from which the debris originates. Galley
waste, operational waste, and commercial fishing waste -- all of
which include to varying degrees the dumping of plastics by ships
- have been the greatest sources of waste collected in the past
two years.
Annex V of MARPOL and the ships that frequent the waters of the
Chesapeake Bay need to work together if the dumping of plastics
is to subside. Ocean pollution is a continuing problem, and the
overall health of the Chesapeake Bay plays a big part in its
solution.