Ocean Conservancy: International Coastal Cleanup Report 2009

Ocean Conservancy released the international results earlier this month entitiled, “A Rising Tide of Ocean Debris and What We Can Do About It.”

Click the image to download these report:

• 2009 Full Report
• Executive Summary
• Marine Debris Index
• Additional Charts and Tables

“Each year, Ocean Conservancy provides a compelling global snapshot of marine debris collected on one day at thousands of sites all over the world during the International Coastal Cleanup held the third Saturday of each September.

This year’s report, A Rising Tide of Ocean Debris and What We Can Do About It, presents data recorded by nearly 400,000 volunteers in 104 countries and locations and 42 US states at the 23rd annual Cleanup.

Key findings include:

• A tidal wave of ocean debris is a major pollution problem of the 21st century
• Of the 43 items tracked during the Cleanup, the top three items of trash found in 2008 were cigarette butts, plastic bags, and food wrappers/containers.
• Marine debris kills. Every year, thousands of marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, and other animals are sickened, injured, or killed because of trash in the ocean.
• Marine debris degrades ocean health and compromises the ocean’s ability to adapt to climate change.