Donal Hickey: Superb work on Big Beach Clean — but marine litter is still a coastal concern
Some of the marine litter picked up by volunteers for the Clean Coasts @CleanCoasts #BigBeachClean23
There’s a lot more work to do regarding the scale of risks to human health and animal life from plastic in the oceans.
That was the clear message to emerge from a meeting of leading international marine experts hosted by the Marine Institute, in Galway, on dangers caused by a combination of warming sea temperatures, worsening ocean conditions, and microplastics (tiny, and often invisible, pieces of plastic).
Particles from car tyres and cigarette butts are of particular concern because of their toxicity. One study described how jellyfish may be a good indicator of levels of microplastic pollution, though more research is needed.
Our Director of Policy, Innovation and Research Support Services, Dr. Niall McDonough moderates the afternoon session at #EurOcean on “Addressing pharmaceutical pollution from inland to sea” #OceanDecade #MissionOcean@EMarineBoard pic.twitter.com/mzRFE6Yt6N
— Marine Institute (@MarineInst) October 10, 2023
Results of almost a decade of research on microplastics were presented, and Dr Niall McDonough, director of policy, Marine Institute, commented: “We are playing catch-up in terms of the science and the measures we can take to address the problem.’’ The issue has only come to light in the last 15 years and a key challenge is to determine levels of consumption by people of fish which have ingested plastic.
A 2021 study by researchers at the NUI Galway found that microplastics were documented in more than 90% of Ireland’s protected marine environments.
The study set out to learn the true extent of pollution around the entire coast. It found that of the 87 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs), 79 had the man-made materials buried in sediments — mostly coming from clothing and fishing equipment.
Separately, the top three items recorded during recent Big Beach Clean weekends by thousands of volunteers were: cigarette butts, plastic food wrappers, and plastic pieces. If we get fine weather over Halloween and the school break period, many people out walking by the seashore will probably find evidence of marine littering.
Lots of people who joined the #BigBeachClean23 said the most common litter item found was cigarette butts. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable & take 10+ years to decompose continuing to be toxic during this time - learn more: https://t.co/U3b5QWz2LS#BinYourButt! #CleanCoasts pic.twitter.com/JedS2YL5FH
— Clean Coasts (@CleanCoasts) October 3, 2023
Much of the rubbish is washed in on the waves — bits of fishing nets and plastic from seagoing craft and microplastics — all of which is causing enormous damage to fish in the ocean.
Countless fish, big and small, and seabirds are killed after getting in entangled ‘ghost’ nets and other debris. More waste and pollution, including untreated sewage, enters the sea from land.
Last month, 7,700 Clean Coasts volunteers removed a staggering 46 tonnes of litter all across the country as part of the 2023 Big Beach Clean.
In a clean-up at Redbarn Beach, Youghal, County Cork, 260 kgs of litter — including a couch and door — were collected. Among the participants were several schools, such as fourth class in Gaelscoil Choráin, Youghal, and Glanmire Community College, Cork.
The Glanmire students were eager to collect data about cigarette and increasing vape litter for their BT Young Scientist project.
