Marine Debris
Hobart, TAS

Marine Debris is unfortunately, a serious problem not only in Australia but the world. A lot of human waste ends up in our oceans and waterways. Some of this marine debris can take hundreds of years to biodegrade; for example, fishing line takes 600 years, plastic bottles take 450 years and aluminium cans can take 200 years, and things like plastic bags never actually complete break down and disappear. This waste causes serious and significant impacts to our marine and bird life. The danger for wildlife is not only becoming entwined but ingesting it as well. Many animals swallow plastic, confusing it with food. For seabirds plastic ingestion is likely to have its highest impact in the Tasman Sea because of the high number of seabirds and high density of plastic pollution.

 The good news is we are doing something about it.

 Conservation Volunteers are setting up a program that focuses on marine debris collection. The initial stages of the program will see a focus on the Tasman Peninsula, and then working our way up the East Coast. The materials collected will be recorded - creating a coastal marine debris mapping system. This program will allow us to improve the condition of our beaches, water quality and health of marine and bird life. The data collected helps to determine the type of debris while flagging 'hotspots'.