Proceedings of the Untangled symposium: - WSPA

Annex 4Submitted abstracts accompanyingposter presentationsThe role of ocean industries in reducing marine debrisPaul HolthusExecutive Director3035 Hibiscus Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA 96815paul.holthus@oceancouncil.orgThe marine environment is not only home to a major partof the world’s biodiversity, it is also home to a diverseand growing array of ocean use and activities: shipping,fishing, offshore oil and gas, aquaculture, offshorerenewable energy, tourism, etc. Because the ocean is aninterconnected global ecosystem supporting a wide rangeof uses, the single most important factor determiningthe health of the ocean is the way business is done inthe marine environment. Many companies are trying toreduce their ocean footprint. However, the best efforts bya single company or an entire industry will not be enoughto address cumulative impacts in the inter-connectedmarine “commons”. Multi-sectoral industry leadership andcollaboration is essential to addressing cross-cutting andcumulative impacts to marine biodiversity, such as theeffects of marine debris. There is a need and opportunityto bring together ocean industry leaders in “CorporateOcean Responsibility” to change the way industrysectors interact with each other and with other oceanstakeholders in a changing ocean world to address majorthreats. The private sector must be a partner in developingand implementing the solutions to reduce the volume ofmarine debris that entangles marine animals and removingdebris that is already in the marine environment.Vida marina: marine debris reduction in Puerto Ricousing an innovative university-based/communityoutreachmodelRobert J. Mayer and Tamara Trinidad-GonzálezCenter for Coastal Restoration and ConservationUniversity of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla, P.O. Box 6150,Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (USA), 00662robert.mayer@upr.eduThe excessive production of solid waste in Puerto Rico isa serious problem that is not being properly addressed.Approximately 80%, of the abundant, marine debrisfound on the coast of PR enters the environment throughrivers and streams. As a result of this, entangled animals(e.g. sea turtles, marine mammals, shorebirds etc.) arevery commonly seen in this area.The University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla (UPRAg)has developed the first systematic initiative of marinedebris monitoring and reduction on the Archipelagoof Puerto Rico.The UPRAg’s Center for Coastal Restoration andConservation (CCRC) began operations in 2007 andis operated by undergraduate student volunteers froma wide range of academic disciplines. This program isoperated from the UPRAg but has groups of well-trainedvolunteers in 9 other UPR campuses. All the volunteersreceive training on the sources, impacts and possiblesolutions to the problem of aquatic debris, environmentaleducation and marine debris recovery techniques.The main goal of the CCRC is to reduce the amount ofmarine debris on the coast of PR and it is funded byFederal and State Government agencies as well as theprivate sector.It operates a network of 80 monofilament-recyclingcontainers on the main fishing hot spots of theArchipelago. Volunteers monitor and maintain them, offertalks on aquatic debris, have organized cleanup eventsand have recovered and recycled approximately 2,900lbs. of used monofilament line from the environmentsince 2007. The program received an U.S. EPAEnvironmental Quality Award in 2008.The CCRC has also involved commercial anglers insolving this problem by operating an incentive program,for local commercial anglers, which consists of acompetition of marine debris removal that focuses onderelict fishing gear. Participants were trained on thecorrect techniques of marine debris removal and workedand removed debris during a 10-month period. Staffmembers scored and classified the recovered materialon a regular basis. A total of 18,351 lbs of marine debris(mainly derelict fishing gear) were removed from theenvironment! The competitors were awarded three prizesbased on the total amount of debris collected.A significant increase in public awareness and instewardship, has been observed as a result ofthese initiatives.Undergraduate student participation on these projectshas contributed to the creation of a group of studentswith excellent planning, communication, grantsmanshipand other skills while at the same time creating a new37