littered with ‘Plastic Soup’

‘Plastic soup’, the name given to systems of plastic waste materials found in rotating ocean currents, form a very real concern. Plastic is used in almost every product we use on a daily basis. Though lightweight and economical, it has one major downside: plastic does not degrade naturally. Experts even predict plastic can ‘survive’ for over a 1,000 years. Maritime by Holland Magazine delves deeper into the issue to discover more about this phenomenon and how various parties are trying to combat it.

‘Plastic soup’ was first discovered in the Pacific ocean in 1997, when a sailor stumbled upon a very large rubbish dump, held and brought together by the underwater currents. The entire area, called the North Pacific gyre, stretches for around 500 nautical miles, from the West Coast of the United States, almost all the way to Japan.

Various gyres

A gyre can be compared to a type of vortex where the ocean circulates slowly due to little wind and vast high pressure systems. There are five large gyres: the North Atlantic and South Atlantic Gyre, the South Pacific and Indian Gyre, next to the North Pacific Gyre about which most is known. During a study done in 2001 by Charles Moore, the sailor who first discovered the soup, it was discovered that there were an average of 334,271 pieces of plastic per square kilometre. An astonishing amount, with most of the plastic, a whopping 80 per cent, coming from land. Most of the marine debris is made up of household items, from plastic bags to bottle caps and food containers. Imagination may run wild when hearing of ‘plastic soup’ in the gyres, visions of large pieces of trash traveling the world’s waters. In fact, the ocean itself and UV rays break the plastic down into small fragments. Most of the debris is smaller than one centimetre. More disturbingly, Project Kaisei, a non-profit organisation focused on increasing awareness of the scale of marine debris, says that 70 per cent of all marine debris sinks to the bottom of the ocean. This means that the vast areas of ‘plastic soup’ only count for 30 per cent of the total amount of marine debris.

Consequences

Articles on the pollution of the seas are often combined with pictures of animals, trapped in various debris. This is a very real consequence of ‘plastic soup’. Once entangled, animals often die of starvation or suffocation. Another fatal consequence for marine life is the ingestion of plastic, for example, turtles often mistake semi- inflated plastic bags for jelly fish. Ingestion often leads to the obstruction of bowels, eventually killing the animal. Large animals are not the only marine life to be affected by ‘plastic soup’. Microscopic organisms can latch on to a piece of plastic and when this piece of plastic travels around the world, the exotic organisms can have a negative affect on the flora and fauna of the area it has travelled to, much like organisms in ballast water. Furthermore, the plastic that sinks to the bottom of the ocean may form such a dense layer that sun cannot reach the seafloor, diminishing oxygen levels.

There is also a human consequence linked to marine life. Seafood is a major source of protein in the diet of over two billion people worldwide. So when organisms ingest plastic containing hazardous material, such as a flame retardant, and are then eaten by crabs, fish or other marine life that humans consume, there is no telling what the impact could be to human health.

What can be done?

As the scope of the ‘plastic soup’ cannot be defined, organisations cannot say how much it will cost to clean the oceans and coastal waters. Logistically, no one knows where to begin, the vastness of the oceans and the distances to overcome, are too great. Next to that, it is not yet known how to filter out the very smallest pieces of ‘plastic soup’. Project Kaisei has taken on the experiment to research the possibilities for cleaning the oceans, but it is not yet known what the outcome will be. As such, many experts agree now is not the time for cleaning. The focus should be on preventing more environmental harm and the cleaning of coastal areas. Preventing new plastic from travelling to the gyres will be a step to at least stopping the accumulation of debris within the ‘plastic soup’. And as most plastic travels from land out to the ocean, cleaning the coastal waters is another good preventative step.

Fishing for litter

KIMO, a Local Authorities International Environmental Organisation, has been cleaning the North Sea for years with their proactive attempt to improve the quality of Europe’s waters. Their cooperation with international fishermen retrieves 250,000 kilogrammes of waste materials from the North Sea on a yearly basis. Fishing for Litter is an active environmental response to the increase of litter in the waters surrounding Great Britain, Scandinavia and Western Europe. From refrigerators to televisions and car parts, Fishing for Litter, truly lives up to its name. KIMO’s goal is to protect the vulnerable oceans and waters through projects, lobbying and research. They mean to see legislation implemented to tackle
marine debris and to ensure future generations can also enjoy the oceans.

KIMO has 80 members worldwide who represent 150 communities in twelve countries, from Belgium and Scotland to Estonia and Russia. They strongly believe that no economic cost rivals the health of our waters. Luckily they are supported by ports, such as Groningen Seaports in the north of the Netherlands. Fishing for Litter commenced in 2005 and the number of ports and fishermen that have attached themselves to the project has increased steadily. All of Scotland’s Designated Landing Ports (DLPs) have adapted the programme also. The project continues to prosper in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The oceans, seas and rivers are vital to the maritime industry, not to mention the survival of marine life and our own wellbeing. Much more research is necessary to solve this vast ‘plastic soup’ problem. What can be done now is creating awareness, awareness that can make the difference to ensure the end of ‘plastic soup’.

Rebecca McFedries