the threat, the erroneous perception that chance encounters 

 between marine animals and debris would be unlikely, and an 

 absence of large numbers of marine animals being found on 

 beaches or at sea strangled, drowned, starved, or choked by- 

 marine debris. It is becoming apparent, however, that plastic 

 debris may be concentrated through disposal patterns, winds, 

 and ocean currents in coastal areas where marine mammals and 

 other species are most likely to occur. In addition, many 

 species actively seek out marine debris because of the asso- 

 ciated prey species attracted by the cover it provides, because 

 it represents an object of play, or because the debris itself 

 may resemble natural prey. Thus, encounters between certain 

 marine species and marine debris may be relatively common. 

 At the same time, however, evidence of such encounters may 

 not be readily apparent because animals affected at sea may 

 be consumed by predators, decompose, sink, or be scattered. 



The potential magnitude of these effects became apparent 

 at an International Workshop on the Fate and Impact of Marine 

 Debris held on 27-29 November 1984 in Honolulu, Hawaii. As 

 noted in previous Annual Reports, this Workshop was convened 

 by the National Marine Fisheries Service at the recommendation 

 of and with initial support from the Marine Mammal Commission, 

 which also provided initial terms of reference for the Workshop. 

 The results of the Workshop identified an urgent need for: 

 educating vessel operators and others about the marine debris 

 problem; regulating the disposal of synthetic materials; and 

 developing better data to assess related impacts on living 

 marine resources. 



In response to concerns identified during the Workshop, 

 Congress appropriated funds to the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service in Fiscal Year 1985 to initiate a research and manage- 

 ment program. Congressional support for this Program has 

 been carried forward since then. In addition, other Federal 

 agencies have become increasingly involved in addressing 

 related aspects of the problem. For example, the Coast Guard 

 and the State Department have pursued efforts to ratify and 

 implement Annex V of the 1978 Protocol Relating to the 

 Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, which, 

 among other things, prohibits the disposal of plastics from 

 ships at sea; the Environmental Protection Agency has supported 

 a study to assess the nature and extent of problems created 

 by plastic pollution in the marine environment; and the National 

 Marine Pollution Program Office has factored the problem of 

 plastic pollution into its Federal Plan for Ocean Pollution 

 Research, Development, and Monitoring. 



The Commission has assisted these efforts while also 

 taking steps to support related research and increase 

 international awareness and involvement. Among other efforts, 

 the Commission has: supported an analysis of domestic and 



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