Chapter VIII — Impacts of Marine Debris 



efforts to implement programs and requirements 

 addressing the provisions of Annex V. The study was 

 conducted by the Committee on Shipboard Wastes, 

 part of the Council's Marine Board, at the request of 

 federal agencies with key responsibilities under the 

 Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act. 

 These included the Coast Guard, the Environmental 

 Protection Agency, and the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service. During the course of the study the Commis- 

 sion provided information and participated in some of 

 the Committee's meetings. 



Among other things, the study examines the roles 

 and responsibilities of agencies, organizations, fleets 

 and ports in addressing Annex V requirements, and 

 suggests steps the could be taken to better integrate 

 and improve national compliance efforts. The study 

 report provides a comprehensive review of the issue, 

 proposes a national strategy and objective for different 

 sectors of the maritime community (e.g., recreational 

 boats, commercial fishing vessels, cargo ships, naval 

 vessels, research vessels, etc.), and recommends 

 specific Federal actions to improve implementation of 

 Annex V. 



Concerning needed federal actions, the report 

 includes recommendations for: (1) the National 

 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop 

 a statistically valid long-term monitoring program to 

 assess the amounts and impacts of marine debris; 



(2) the Environmental Protection Agency to establish 

 a framework for integrating port reception facilities 

 with land-based solid waste management systems; 



(3) the Maritime Administration to establish a research 

 and development program for onboard garbage- 

 processing technology with technical support from the 

 Navy; (4) the Coast Guard to aggressively enforce 

 Annex V, extend the requirements for garbage logs to 

 foreign vessels, and examine the potential for issuing 

 tickets in civil cases; and (5) Congress to establish a 

 permanent national commission that would provide an 

 expert independent body to oversee, help coordinate, 

 and advise Congress on the progress of work to 

 implement Annex V in the United States. 



171 



