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PLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT:
BOATERS
CAN HELP CONTROL A GROWING PROBLEM
by Joe Farrell, Marine Resource Management Specialist,
(302) 645-4250
Since the days of ancient Phoenician mariners, seagoers
have been dumping their trash at sea. Back in those days,
the oceans could easily handle the waste, but today, both
the nature and the quantity of trash have changed. Today,
what gets tossed overboard can have a deadly impact on marine
life and cause problems for other boaters.
Plastic, the wonder material that we use for everything,
is perhaps the most harmful of this trash because it does
not readily break down in nature. In fact, the plastic that
goes over the side today may still be around in hundreds
of years to foul up the fishing gear, boat propellers, and
beaches of future generations, not to mention what it will
do to countless generations of marine life and seabirds that
eat it or get tangled up in it.
 Careless disposal of plastics can have dire consequences.
The six-pack ring, which relieves us of having to juggle
six cans at once, can become a deadly noose for a bird or fish. A plastic bag
looks like a tasty jellyfish to an
indiscriminate feeder like the sea turtle, but plastic is indigestible. It
can choke, block the intestines of, or cause infection in those animals that
consume it. A plastic bag can also clog an outboard engine's cooling system.
Lost or discarded monofilament fishing line can foul propellers, destroying
oil seals and lower units on engines, or it can become an entangling web for
fish, seabirds, and marine mammals.
According to the Center for Marine Conservation, over 25,000
pieces of fishing line were collected from U.S. beaches during
the 1996 annual beach cleanup, and at least 40% of all animal
entanglements reported during the cleanups involved fishing
line.
Every day, more and more plastic is accumulating in our
oceans. Recreational boaters are not the only group that
improperly disposes of plastic refuse at sea. Plastics also
enter the marine environment from sewage outfalls, merchant
shipping, commercial fishing operations, and beachgoers.
Plastics pose a serious enough threat to the marine environment
that, in 1987, Congress enacted the Marine Plastic Pollution
Research and Control Act. This law prohibits the dumping
of plastics in all U.S. waters and applies to all watercraft
-- from the smallest recreational boat to the largest commercial
ship. In addition, marinas are required to maintain adequate
facilities for the disposal of refuse regulated under this
act.
You can do something to reduce plastic pollution.
- Make it a rule that no trash goes overboard, especially
old fishing line, which is particularly hazardous
to marine life.
- Substitute reusable containers and other items for disposable
ones to reduce the volume of trash.
- Stow your trash for proper disposal in port.
Plastic really is fantastic. The problem is improper disposal.
Remember that a careless moment may last
for generations.
Rev. 03/01:3K 
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