10/18/2006: "Guest Editorial"

Trash in our Oceans--You Can Be Part of the Solution By Stephanie Buffum Field

Those beads, those beads, those beautiful plastic pellet gun beads. Resting on sidewalks and in street gutters waiting anxiously, along with cigarette butts, for the next rain to come. Friday Harbor's stormwater drains will soon carry them into the sea for their next adventure. Being the size and color of salmon eggs, they could deceive the cleverest bird or fish.

Think of all the plastic that ends up in the ocean for one reason or another -- packaging materials, cigarette butts, styrofoam food containers and cups, discarded medical waste, plastic bags, and fishing lines and nets. Marine garbage is not just unsightly and unsafe; it is an ecological disaster for the animals that are forced to live with it.

Debris Hazardous for Marine Animals and Other Marine Life

Each year millions of seabirds, sea turtles, fish, and marine mammals become entangled in marine debris or ingest plastics which they have mistaken for food. At other times, animals accidentally eat the plastic while feeding on natural food.

According to a 1998 Marine Mammal Commission study, 267 marine species have been reported entangled in or having ingested marine debris. Plastic netting or fishing line can constrict the animals' movements or cause infection from deep wounds as it tightens. Animals can die from exhaustion as they attempt to escape. Animals can starve to death as ingested plastic clogs their intestines, preventing them from obtaining vital nutrients. And the toxic substances that are present in plastics can cause death or reproductive failure.

Once debris reaches ocean bottom, especially in areas with little current, it may continue to cause environmental problems. When plastic film and other debris settle on the bottom, immobile plants and animals can suffocate, producing areas essentially devoid of life.

Polluted Waters Make Trouble for Humans, Too

Marine debris also acts as a navigational hazard to fishing and recreational boats by entangling propellers and clogging cooling water intake valves. Repairing boats damaged by marine debris is both time-consuming and expensive.

Humans can also be directly affected by marine debris. Swimmers and divers can become entangled in abandoned netting and fishing lines. Beach users can be injured by stepping on broken glass, cans, needles or other litter. And because debris in coastal areas or floating in the water is visually unappealing, its presence can result in lost tourism revenues.

What You Can Do

Every piece of litter has a person's face behind it. All of us can lend a helping hand in solving the litter problem. Here are a few ideas:

• Secure your load--in your boat and in your car.
• Reduce, reuse and recycle.
• Cut the rings of plastic six-pack holders. This lowers the risk of entanglement to marine animals if the holders do make it out to sea.
• Look for alternative materials or avoid excessive packaging.
• Report lost or abandoned gear call the WDFW hotline 1-800-477-6224 or use a reporting form on-line, http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/derelict/derelict_gear.htm
• Collect marine beach debris. Call Patt Martin (378-7850), who will provide you with bags, gloves, grabbers, safety vests, and will coordinate litter collection.
• Participate in the 2007 San Juan County Spring Beach Clean Up. Call Friends of the San Juans for more information, 378-2319.

( Stephanie Buffum Field is the Executive Director of Friends of the San Juans, and a Member of the San Juan Island Anti-Litter Initiative Steering committee)