Chapter VI — Impacts of Marine Debris 



of Annex V is, therefore, a central part of efforts to 

 resolve problems. 



The Marine Entanglement 

 Research Program 



In 1985, Congress appropriated $1,000,000 to the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service to develop and 

 begin implementing a program to address marine 

 debris problems. As noted in previous Annual 

 Reports, the Commission played a major role in 

 identifying and organizing initial program efforts. 

 The work begun that year has been carried forward 

 since then through the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service's Marine Entanglement Research Program, 

 administered by the Northwest and Alaska Fisheries 

 Science Center. To continue the work. Congress has 

 appropriated between $700,000 to $750,000 annually 

 since 1985 and directed that the Service obtain the 

 concurrence of the Marine Mammal Commission on 

 how those funds are spent. 



To help determine the future direction of the 

 Marine Entanglement Research Program, the Service 

 convened a program planning meeting on 19-20 June 

 1991 at the Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Science 

 Center in Seattle, Washington. The purpose of the 

 meeting was to review the status and results of recent 

 marine debris-related research and management 

 activities and to identify priority tasks to be carried 

 out in FY 1992. Representatives of the Commission 

 and other involved Federal agencies participated. 



Based on results of the meeting, the Service 

 developed a proposed program plan, which it sent to 

 the Commission for review on 4 November 1991. 

 The projects proposed in the plan appeared appropri- 

 ate to improve understanding marine debris pollution 

 or to reduce or mitigate its effects. Therefore, by 

 letter of 13 December 1991 to the Service, the Com- 

 mission concurred with the plan and recommended 

 that steps to implement it be taken promptiy. 



The Fiscal Year 1992 plan allocates $685,800 

 among 18 research and management projects address- 

 ing education, mitigation, and research, and one 

 program management task. Twelve projects, includ- 



ing the program management task, continue or build 

 upon efforts begun in previous years. Because a 

 substantial part of marine debris pollution appears to 

 be caused by incremental effects of seafarers, beach 

 users, coastal residents, and others, preventing dispos- 

 al requires broad public awareness of marine debris 

 problems and disposal restrictions. A substantial part 

 of program funding therefore is devoted to public 

 education. 



In this regard, the 1992 plan supports tasks to 

 (1) continue and provide supplies for two marine 

 debris information offices; (2) print brochures and 

 placards on marine debris pollution and vessel dis- 

 charge regulations for distribution by the Coast Guard 

 Auxiliary; (3) continue a State of Hawaii education 

 outreach program and adapt it for use in other Pacific 

 island areas; and (4) in cooperation with the Intergov- 

 ernmental Oceanographic Commission's Caribbean 

 Subconmiission, develop an education outreach 

 program for the Gulf of Mexico and the Wider 

 Caribbean Region. 



Other parts of the 1992 plan support mitigation 

 work to (1) organize and carry out volunteer beach 

 clean-up campaigns, (2) free entangled Hawaiian 

 monk seals and remove hazardous debris from seal 

 haulout beaches in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, 

 (3) undertake a comprehensive review through the 

 National Research Council's Marine Board of U.S. 

 strategies to implement and assure compliance with 

 recent regulations to limit the disposal of garbage 

 from ships, (4) complete a study of economic aspects 

 related to marine debris pollution and mitigation 

 needs, and (5) assist U.S. efforts to broaden interna- 

 tional acceptance and implementation of Annex V of 

 the Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from 

 Ships. 



In order to ensure, insofar as possible, that mitiga- 

 tion efforts focus on the most serious effects and 

 respond to pollution trends in a timely manner, 

 research and monitoring studies are needed to improve 

 understanding of marine debris sources, effects, and 

 trends. In this regard, the 1992 plan supports (1) a 

 continuation of long-term studies to monitor the types 

 and amounts of entangling debris on certain Alaska 

 beaches, (2) work by the National Park Service to 



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