In a paper published today in Nature, researchers from the California Academy of Sciences, University of São Paulo, University of Oxford, University of Exeter, and other collaborators reveal the extent of plastic pollution on coral reefs, finding that debris increases
New research has found that the design of biodegradable fishing gear needs to improve if it is to help address the environmental and economic impacts of 'ghost fishing'.
Cook Islands has made calls for “ghost gear” to be included in the Plastic Treaty as it impacts marine life and the marine food chain, and is a significant cause of marine litter.
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.
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 and Hawaii.
Every year, the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems is estimated between 9-14 million tons and this projection could nearly triple to 23-37 million tons per year by 2040. A report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has revealed that there are now over 150 million tonnes of plastics in the oceans. That's about one tonne of plastics for every three tonnes of fish. If the trend continues, plastics will outweigh fish in the oceans by 2050. This results in risks to human health and well-being through ingestion of seafood and fish contaminated with plastics.
Countries in East Asia and the Pacific are at the center of the marine plastics crisis with some countries in the region representing the biggest contributors and others disproportionately affected by the impacts of marine plastic debris on their shores. Call Number: [EL]Physical Description: 38 p.
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 appr
During the summer of 2019, distance swimmer Ben Lecomte planned one of his most ambitious expeditions yet, to raise awareness for a man-made problem that is already causing massive issues for marine life: plastic pollution. On his journey through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he found large pi
Global efforts to cut plastic and agricultural pollution, protect a third of wild spaces, and ultimately live "in harmony with nature" will dominate UN biodiversity negotiations starting Monday, held in person after a two-year pandemic delay.