Marine Debris is a technical term used for rubbish found in the ocean. It includes ropes, plastics, fish nets, packaging tape, bottles and other thoughtlessly discarded things. This rubbish can come from many places; including ships, fishing and recreational boats. It can come from city streets carried into the ocean from the storm-water drains (read more here).
In response to community concern about the amount of rubbish on local beaches, we launched the Eyre Peninsula Marine Debris Monitoring and Adopt a Beach Program in 2008. You can take the lead on adopting a beach for clean up in your area using the Tangaroa Blue Australian Marine Debris Initiative. Talk with your local NRM Officer today about what's involved and how you can work with others to the achieve best coverage of Eyre Peninsula's coastline (see interactive map below).
" Our first survey collection was in May 2009 and we have collected debris every three months from that date. After 36 surveys we have collected approximately 2.8 ton of debris.The beach area is mostly rock and extends for one kilometre on the northern shore of False Bay west of Black Point. The beach is about 30 metres wide, but the debris collects at the top of the beach in small banks of seaweed that extend for its full length. The heaviest material we collect is timber and the quantity of this varies greatly between surveys but by volume the greatest amount of debris found is plastic. This usually consists of bags, bottles, food containers, straws, buckets and fragments of all of the above. We also find rope and rope fragments.Some times we find animal mortalities including seals, dolphins, shearwaters, cormorants, port jackson sharks, box, puffer and cuttlefish. Our team usually consists of myself with my two daughters and my daughters partner. It usually takes us about four hours to collect the debris which includes travel time to and from the site. Collating the data from the collection usually takes about six hours which I undertake myself at my leisure."
As of 2018 all marine debris long-term monitoring data we collect will be entered directly into entering information into the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI).
There are also currently 14 Eyre Peninsula-based aquaculture companies from the tuna, kingfish, mussel and abalone sectors taking part in the 'adopt a beach' program (shown in red in the map above). Read more about it here.
assisting teachers with field trips and classroom activities for children, focusing on the effects of marine debris and how we might all reduce our impact on our environment.