Impacts of Marine Litter - Book Report/Review Example

Contents Impact of Marine Debris Impact on Wildlife -----------------------------------------------------------------------------2 2. Impact on the Environment -------------------------------------------------------------------23. Impact on the Economy -----------------------------------------------------------------------3 Marine debris, constituted of plastics and other synthetic, non-biodegradable materials, poses a serious threat to marine wildlife, the environment and the economy. 1. Impact on Wildlife.

The main danger to wildlife is from the ingestion of plastic debris and entanglement in packaging bands, ropes and drift nets. Marine wildlife ingests plastic debris, mistaking it for prey. This reduces the storage volume of the stomach, dulls appetite and leads to weight loss and starvation. Plastic ingestion also causes blockage of the intestinal tract and gastric enzymes secretion, lowered steroid hormone levels, delayed ovulation and reproductive failure. This causes internal injury and death to small fish and seabirds.

Plastics also contain toxic polychlorinated biphenyls. Drifting plastic debris may acquire a fauna of encrusting organisms such as bacteria and algae, and become a possible pathway for alien species invasion. This is a major threat to native marine biodiversity. (Derraik, 2002). Many animals get entangled in drifting synthetic fishing nets and die from drowning, injury, impaired mobility and starvation (Murray, 2009). One of the greatest hazards to wildlife comes from derelict fishing nets, sometimes called ‘ghost nets,’ which cause massive damage as they continue to fish passively while drifting on the oceans (Ceccarelli, 2009).

Twenty threatened marine wildlife species, listed under the EPBC Act, are negatively impacted by marine debris, including turtles, sharks, whales, seals, sea lions, dugongs and seabirds, such as the albatross, petrel and pelican (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2009). 2. Impact on the Environment.Marine debris negatively impacts the environment. Marine debris is concentrated on the beaches and coasts, leading to an aesthetic loss to the shoreline. There is a direct correlation between marine debris and maritime accidents.

Maritime vessels suffer engine failure when propellers and shafts get entangled with floating debris, such as fishing nets and ropes. Plastics can block water suction pipes, leading to heated engines (Cho, 2005). Land-based marine debris, such as Medical and personal hygiene debris, can accumulate on beaches and infect the water, leading to infections including hepatitis, diarrhea, bacillary dysentery and skin rashes. Debris is moved by the currents and can physically damage the shoreline, living coral reef, and other important, fragile aquatic habitats through abrasion.

Habitat destruction is caused by debris which is entangled in ropes and nets which may smother sea grass or corals, cause increased siltation and turbidity and block the sunlight necessary for sea life (Sheavly and Register, 2007). Beach debris such as broken glass and rusty gas cylinders pose a threat to beachgoers, especially children (Kiessling, 2003). 3. Impact on the Economy.Marine debris has heavy economic implications. It is very costly to move and dispose of marine litter. Harbor authorities spend substantial sums on dredging to remove floating debris, using cranes to lift vessels whose propellers are entangled in derelict ropes and nets and hiring divers to clean fouled propellers and anchors.

A major economic cost of marine debris is the loss of fishery production. Fishing activities are hindered by accumulated debris in nets, catches that are contaminated by debris, and nets which snag on debris on the seabed. The reduced aesthetic value of fouled shorelines can cause a decrease in tourist revenue. The authorities are forced to spend funds on beach maintenance (Cho, 2005). Cleanups of beaches and waterways can be expensive. There is a substantial reduction in catch rates and fishing revenue due to time spent cleaning debris from nets (STAP, 2011).

Marine debris adversely affects the economy through the drop in tourism, navigational hazards to shipping, fouled fishing gear, contamination of commercial fish catch and gear maintenance costs and downtime. Many coastal communities cannot afford the high cost of clean-up operations for polluted beaches (Kiessling, 2003). It is clear the adverse impacts of marine debris needs to be addressed urgently. References.Cho, Dong Oh. (2005). Challenges to Marine Debris Management in Korea. Coastal Management.

33:389–409. Retrieved fromhttp://www.Ceccarelli, D. M. (2009). Impact of Plastic Debris on Australian Marine Wildlife. The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved from http://www.Derraik, Jose G.B. (2002). The pollution of the marine environment by plastic debris: a review. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 44 (2002) 842–852. Retrieved fromhttp://www.Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. (2009). Background Paper for the Threat Abatement Plan for the impacts of marine debris on vertebrate marine life.

Retrieved fromhttp://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/tap/marine-debris.htmlGregory, Murray R. (2009). Environmental implications of plastic debris in marine settings – entanglement, ingestion, smothering, hangers-on, hitch-hiking and alien invasions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. 364, 2013–2025. Retrieved fromhttp://www.Kiessling, Ilse. (2003). Finding Solutions: Derelict Fishing Gear and Other Marine Debris in Northern Australia. National Oceans Office and Department of the Environment and Heritage.

Retrieved fromhttp://www.STAP. (2011). Marine Debris as a Global Environmental Problem. Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel. Retrieved fromhttp://www.Sheavly, S. B. and Register K. M. (2007). Marine Debris & Plastics: Environmental Concerns, Sources, Impacts and Solutions. J Polym Environ. 15:301–305. Retrieved from http://www.