Marine Debris Survey Information Guide
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Marine Debris Survey Information Guide Kristian Peters, Marine Debris Project Coordinator Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board Acknowledgements The Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board gratefully acknowledges the following contributors to this manual: • White, Damian. 2005. Marine Debris Survey Information Manual 2nd edition, WWF Marine Debris Project Arafura Ecoregion Program. WWF Australia • South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium • South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Ocean and Coastal Resource Management • Centre for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence Southeast and NOAA 2008 • Chris Jordan • Images (cover from left): Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board and Bill Doyle Photography This project is supported by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board through funding from the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and SeaLink. Disclaimer While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board takes no responsibility for its contents, nor for any loss, damage or consequence for any person or body relying on the information, or any error or omission in this publication. Printed on 100% recycled Australian-made paper from ISO 14001-accredited sources Marine Debris Survey Information Guide 1 Contents 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 2 2.0 Volunteer requirements for marine debris surveys ................................................................. 5 3.0 Personal requirements ............................................................................................................ 6 4.0 Marine debris sampling protocols ........................................................................................... 8 5.0 Survey sites and the sampling transect ................................................................................ 10 6.0 Collecting the marine debris (Part A) .................................................................................... 13 7.0 Collecting the marine debris (Part B):Frgamented Plastics .................................................. 15 8.0 Recording information on marine mammals and turtles ....................................................... 16 9.0 Processing the marine debris ............................................................................................... 17 10.0 Debris identification and data recording .............................................................................. 18 11.0 Marine debris sorting guidelines ......................................................................................... 20 12.0 Fragmented plastics sorting guidelines ............................................................................... 21 13.0 Further information .............................................................................................................. 22 Appendix 1. Marine debris survey sites Gulf St. Vincent ............................................................ I Appendix 2. Survey site co-ordinates Gulf St. Vincent ............................................................... II Appendix 3. Survey site co-ordinates Kangaroo Island ............................................................ III Appendix 4. Beach Litter Survey Information Sheet .................................................................. IV Appendix 5. Litter Data Sheet ........................................................................................................ V Appendix 5. Litter Data Sheet ....................................................................................................... VI Appendix 6. Litter Classification Table ........................................................................................ VII Appendix 6. Litter Classification Table (cont.) .......................................................................... VIII Appendix 6. Litter Classification Table (cont.) ............................................................................ IX Appendix 7. Fragmented Plastics Data Sheet ............................................................................. X Appendix 8. Large Items Data Sheet ........................................................................................... XI Appendix 9. Litter Origins Information Table (International Barcode Number) ..................... XII Appendix 10. Marine Debris Survey Data, GSV and KI, 2010. .............................................. XIII Appendix 10. Marine Debris Survey Data, GSV and KI, 2010. .............................................. XIV Volunteer Checklist for Marine Debris Surveys ......................................................................... XV Marine Debris Survey Information Guide 2 1.0 Introduction Marine debris surveys are part of the Gulf St. Vincent Marine Threat Abatement project, initiated by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board (AMLRNRMB) and supported through the Australian Government’s Caring for Our Country initiative. This is a collaborative project between three Natural Resource Management Boards (AMLR, Kangaroo Island and Northern and Yorke), Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, South Australian Museum and other organisations around Gulf St Vincent to address the Australian Government’s Marine Debris Threat Abatement Plan to minimise impacts on marine species. The Marine Debris Project seeks to implement objectives of the Threat Abatement Plan (TAP) for Marine Wildlife at a local level. The objectives of the TAP are: 1. Contribute to the long-term prevention of the incidence of harmful marine debris. 2. Remove existing harmful marine debris from the marine environment. 3. Mitigate the impacts of harmful marine debris on marine species and ecological communities. 4. Monitor the quantities, origins and impacts of marine debris and assess the effectiveness of management arrangements over time for the strategic reduction of debris. Marine debris (also known as marine litter) is an increasing and persistent problem that impacts on our estuarine, coastal and marine ecosystems. Given its diversity (i.e. plastic, metal, wood, ceramic, glass) and the abundance of terrestrial (land-based) (e.g. storm- water, rivers, urban litter) and marine-based sources (e.g. commercial and recreational boating and fishing, international and merchant shipping), its influence is globally extensive, affecting wildlife such as sea birds, pinnipeds (seals, sea lions), cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and marine turtles across a range of inshore coastal, and offshore marine habitats. With the introduction of plastics as common use items in households and commercial-based industry, the persistence of non-organic litter (i.e. plastic) in both terrestrial and marine- based systems has increased significantly. While plastic and its components thereof, offer convenience and versatility, their durability is often short-lived often persisting as terrestrial waste in landfill or through translocation processes (i.e. storm-water, transoceanic), are encountered as items of floating oceanic debris that accumulate along convergence zones and deposit within coastal fringes. Marine Debris Survey Information Guide 3 Figure 1. Estimated decomposition rates of common marine debris items. In Australian waters, the increase in quantities of marine debris is met with growing public awareness and concern. In Northern and Southern Australia the high incidence and increased risk of entanglement in marine debris by seals, cetaceans and marine turtles (for example, see Page et al. 2004) and consumption of fragmented plastics by seabirds, has provoked a Federal Government response, listing marine debris under the Australian Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC, 1999) as a ‘key threatening process’ to the survival and abundance of native species or ecological communities’. As a consequence, state and territory government agencies, non-government organisations, industry and local communities have facilitated animal welfare and beach clean-up campaigns (e.g. World Wildlife Fund, Clean Up Australia Day) to understand and alleviate some of its direct impacts. The importance of marine debris surveys Marine debris surveys and beach clean-up activities alike are a valuable means to engage the community and raise public awareness while providing important information into the condition of surrounding coastal areas. In South Australia, while an annual Clean Up Australia Day (CUAD) highlight the problem of marine debris, limited surveys have quantified the amount and type of beach litter collected. Marine debris surveys conducted at Kangaroo Island, Robe and Anxious Bay (Edyvane et al. 2004; Eglinton et al. 2006; Lashmar et al. 2009) describe differences in amounts and types of debris collected, but similarly indicate Marine Debris Survey Information Guide 4 the contribution of plastic as a major source of pollution that impacts our coastlines and wildlife. Given the information marine debris surveys can provide at both local and regional levels, they remain an invaluable tool to assist with the future management of our marine and coastal systems. The marine debris survey information guide This manual has been developed