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Extent and reproduction of coastal species on plastic debris in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

We show that the high seas are colonized by a diverse array of coastal species, which survive and reproduce in the open ocean, contributing strongly to its foating community composition. Analysis of rafting plastic debris in the eastern North Pacifc Subtropical Gyre revealed 37 coastal invertebrate taxa, largely of Western Pacifc origin, exceeding pelagic taxa richness by threefold. Coastal taxa, including diverse taxonomic groups and life history traits, occurred on 70.5% of debris items.

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Scientists have found thriving communities of coastal creatures, including tiny crabs and anemones, living thousands of miles from their original home on plastic debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a 620,000 square mile swirl of trash in the ocean between California an

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In seven to eight years, the Pacific will no longer be able to rely on the ocean for food security or as a source of livelihood as it does today because of plastic pollution. Experts say that by 2030, up to 53 million metric tonnes of plastic pollution will annually affect the livelihoods of