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Much
of the litter disposed of at sea is now made from plastic
and does not breakdown in the environment. Not only does this
litter wash up on and spoil our beaches, some of it, such
as discarded fishing line and net, and strapping bands (used
in cargo packaging), is potentially lethal for wildlife. In
all, 210 beaches were cleaned and surveyed and a total of
262,349 items, weighing an estimated 18,000 kg, were collected.
Among the most commonly found items were cotton bud sticks,
with a total of 16,467 recorded. The Beachwatch '97 Report
identified the major sources of marine litter as being from
tourists (34%), from shipping (14%), from fishing (11.5%)
and from sewage related debris ( 8.5%).
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Oil
Pollution
Oil
can damage marine ecosystems, endanger marine life and pollute
beaches and coastlines. It has toxic effects, which can kill
or damage marine organisms and physical effects, on seabirds.
It can damage plumage resulting in the loss of water repellent
properties and reduced thermal insulation and buoyancy. Oil
pollution may be caused by accidental or illegal spillage from
ships, and spills from offshore installations. Most oil spills
are small and in many cases the oil is dispersed naturally,
but there are a number of more substantial spillages from ships
which require cleaning up.
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