Marine debris is any continuous solid material that is abandoned or disposed of into the aquatic environment. Not only does this kill a lot of our marine life, it also interferes with navigational safety and human health. Our oceans and waterways are constantly polluted with a wide variety of marine debris ranging from soda cans and plastic bags to derelict fishing gear and abandoned vessels.
The procedure we followed to collect marine debris was simple. The first step is measuring out 50 meters of shoreline. Then the 50 meters is divided by flags into 10 meter sections, running vertically from the waterline to the high tide line. Two people are assigned to each 10 meter section and are responsible for collecting and counting the debris in their area. This will give us a sample of the total marine scattered over a large area - like a snapshot of the marine debris problem in Bimini.
The most prevalent type of debris that we collected in Bimini was plastic, the mostly in the form of discarded beverage bottles. These bottles come from a variety of sources, including inhabitants of the island, fishermen and sailors out at sea and even carried by currents from other islands near by. This build up of plastic is severely hazardous to the marine environment and even to us. Scientists have found that plastic is entering oceanic food chains at every level from microscopic pieces being consumed by zooplankton to whole plastic bags being inhaled by unsuspecting sea turtles. There are a few things that we all can do to keep this abundance of plastic from entering our oceans. Some easy options include using a reusable water bottle, recycling plastic properly and make sure to discard your garbage properly so that it cannot find its way into the aquatic environment. These are just a few small steps you can take to make a big difference in our oceans and on our earth.
The Breakdown of the Marine Debris found during our survey.
PLASTICS;
- Fishing line: 1
- Beverage bottles: 28
- Pieces: 9
- Fishing Lure: 1
- Other Bottles: 7
- Caps/Lids:9
- Gallon Beverages:12
- Foamy Plastic:6
- Cups:3
- Ropes:1
- Bleach/cleaners:8
- Oil/lube/bottles:3
- Bags:5
- Others:19
- Egg Cartons: 5
- Bouys/floats:1
- Packaging materials: 8
- Packaging pieces:3
- Cups: 9
- Others: 4
GLASS;
- Beverage bottles: 7
- Light bulbs: 2
- Food jars:3
- Others: 2
METAL;
- Beverage cans: 7
- Others: 1
OTHERS;
- Rubber: 3
- Textiles: 1
- Paper: 1
I was looking the list of debris that was found. I was amazed at the different items that were found. Light bulbs!!!! You would think that the fisherman that make thier living off of the islands wouldn't be so careless.
The worlds oceans are all connected and the ocean’s currents can transport marine life, nutrients, and garbage long distances. The fisherman and local people are probably producing some of the garbage that washes up on the beaches of Bimini, but a lot of the garbage was probably blown in from other islands in the Bahamas, or even other Countries like the United States. It is sad to see so much garbage on a beach, and it is important to realize that everyone’s actions affect the oceans, not just the people who can swell the salt from their house.