Plastic Debris in the California Marine Ecosystem A Summary of Current Research, Solution Efforts and Data Gaps September 2011 This report was commissioned by the California Ocean Protection Council and managed by California Ocean Science Trust. Partial support for this publication was provided by the National Sea Grant College Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, under grant number NA10OAR4170058, and by the California Natural Resources Agency. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or any of its sub-agencies. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute copies for governmental purposes. Text and design produced under contract by: Charlotte Stevenson, M.S. Science Communications Specialist University of Southern California Sea Grant University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0373 Recommended citation of this report: Plastic Debris in the California Marine Ecosystem: A Summary of Current Research, Solution Strategies and Data Gaps. 2011. C. Stevenson, University of Southern California Sea Grant. Synthetic Report. California Ocean Science Trust, Oakland, CA. Photo credits: Front and back cover image depicting marine debris on a Los Angeles beach courtesy of Heal the Bay. All images used within the report were within the public domain or were permissioned for use in this report. None of the information within this report was reviewed by any of the individuals or groups providing images; therefore, the information in this report is not necessarily representative of the views of these individuals, organizations, or groups. Acknowledgements The author and OST thank Dr. Stephen Weisberg, Executive Director of the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project and member of the OPC Science Advisory Team (OPC-SAT), a multidisciplinary team of scientists, for providing a preliminary review of the first draft. Additionally, this report was peer-reviewed per OST’s standard process. For this report, OST identified five reviewers representing expertise in the fields of marine ecology, environmental engineering, water quality, and marine debris policy. The author provided responses to all comments, and produced a revised report draft based on the comments. Finally, an expert mediator conducted a final assessment of the content of the report as well as the responses to peer review comments. The author would like to thank the five reviewers and expert mediator for their detailed comments and thorough assessment. California Ocean Science Trust (OST) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation established to encourage coordinated, multi-agency, multi-institution approaches to translating and applying ocean science to management and policy. The mission of OST is to ensure that the best available science is applied to California policies and ocean management to successfully maintain a healthy, resilient, and productive ocean and coast. To achieve its mission, OST has two overarching organizational goals: • Goal 1: Facilitate collaboration. Facilitate two-way connections between the world of science and that of policy and management by establishing and supporting multi-partner information systems and exchanges that yield tangible improvements in coastal and ocean management. OST serves as a bridge among science, management, and policy organizations, through activities such as its support of the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and coordination of science and research among the OPC, state agencies, federal agencies, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). • Goal 2: Institutionalize integration. Institutionalize the integration of best science, where necessary, into California coastal ocean policy and decision-making by building new organizations, programs, and processes and catalyzing applied research. This reflects the great need to develop, disseminate, and apply science that is designed to inform and improve policy and management. For more information about OST, please visit www.calost.org The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) is a cabinet-level body created in 2004 under the California Ocean Protection Act (COPA). The mission of the OPC is to ensure that California maintains healthy, resilient, and productive ocean and coastal ecosystems for the benefit of current and future generations. The OPC’s overarching role is to coordinate and lead ocean management and protection in California in three primary ways: 1) by addressing cross-cutting ocean issues that do not fall neatly under the purview of one agency; 2) by developing forward-looking policy recommendations to advance new or refine existing laws and regulations; and 3) by coordinating across state institutions whose decisions affect coastal waters and the ocean environment. The University of Southern California, one of the largest private universities in the United States, has participated in the National Sea Grant College Program for over 30 years and has more than a 100-year history of marine science research in Southern California. USC’s facilities, research, and curricula make it the principal university in the Los Angeles region for ocean studies, and it has demonstrated excellence in marine research and education from the beginning of the 20th Century. The University of Southern California’s location in the middle of Los Angeles has made the Sea Grant Program at USC an important regional resource, concentrating on issues arising out of the necessity of managing people and resources in an intensely developed coastline. For this reason, in the 1980s the USC Sea Grant program adopted as its programmatic theme the “Urban Ocean.” The problems found in the “Urban Ocean” environment of Southern California are not unique to the region. In addressing the range of issues found here, USC Sea Grant will continue to provide information and models serving Los Angeles as well as other urban coastal regions in the U.S. and around the world. USC Sea Grant funds research on the critical issues associated with the influence of massive cities on the sea, promotes connections between scientists and the policy-makers who must craft solutions, and broadly distributes information to the electorate through public education outreach efforts. USC Sea Grant’s primary responsibility is to contribute to solving the problems of the Urban Ocean, while recognizing the opportunities for coastal commerce, recreation and improving the quality of life in coastal regions such as Southern California. For more information on USC Sea Grant, please visit www.usc.edu/org/seagrant/ Table of Contents Scope and Purpose...............................................................................................................................v Methods..............................................................................................................................................vi Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................vii Glossary...............................................................................................................................................ix I. Characterization: What is Marine Debris?.........................................................................................1 II. Distribution and Abundance: Where is Marine Debris Found?........................................................4 A. Regional Patterns: North Pacific Ocean B. Local Patterns: California 1. On the seafloor 2. Floating debris 3. On the shore III. Sources and Transport: How is Marine Debris Getting into the Ocean?........................................12 A. Debris from Ships B. Debris from Land-Based Sources C. National Municipal Waste Stream D. Municipal Waste in California E. Industrial Management and Transportation of Plastic in California F. Individual Waste, Littering, and Dumping IV. Impacts: Why is Marine Debris a Problem?...................................................................................19 A. Ingestion and Entanglement B. Accumulation, Transport, Toxicology, Bioavailability and the Food Chain 1. Plastics Accumulate and Transport Pollutants 2. Plastics Leach Pollutants 3. Toxicology 4. Bioavailability and Transport up the Food Chain C. Transport of Alien Species D. Impacted Habitats and Benthic Life E. Economic Impacts V. Solutions: Types, Successes and Challenges....................................................................................34 A. Cleanup and Recovery 1. Organized Cleanup Efforts 2. Energy Recovery B. Reduction and Prevention 1. Structural controls 2. Recycling 3. Smart Design and Extended Producer Responsibility 4. Initiatives and Legislation a. National Initiatives b. Regional Initiatives c. State Legislation d. Local Initiatives 5. Education C. Alternatives: Biodegradable and Compostable Plastic VI. Data Gaps....................................................................................................................................49 Conclusion.........................................................................................................................................53 Endnotes.............................................................................................................................................54 Alphabetical References.....................................................................................................................62 v Scope and Purpose of this Report