Until recently, the magnitude of these threats was masked by 

 the size of the ocean, the deceptively simple nature of 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 strangled, drowned, starved, or 

 choked by marine debris being found on beaches or at sea. 

 However, plastic debris may be concentrated by 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 associated prey species attracted by the cover it 

 provides, because it represents an object of play, or because the 

 debris itself resembles natural prey. Thus, encounters between 

 certain marine species, or age groups within species, and marine 

 debris may be relatively common. At the same time, evidence of 

 such encounters may not be readily apparent because animals 

 affected at sea are likely to be scattered by their own movements 

 between the time they become entangled or ingest debris and die, 

 and because they may be consumed by predators, decompose, or 

 sink. 



By the early 1980s, it was becoming apparent that the threat 

 to marine life from plastics and other marine debris was far 

 greater than had been realized. Initial concern focused on 

 entanglement of North Pacific fur seals, but it soon became clear 

 that other species, including endangered Hawaiian monk seals, 

 were being killed or injured due to entanglement and ingestion of 

 debris. 



As the extent of the problem became apparent, the Marine 

 Mammal Commission took a number of steps to address the issue and 

 initiate an effective response. In 1982, the Commission urged 

 the National Marine Fisheries Service to convene a workshop to 

 assess the extent of the marine debris pollution problem and to 

 identify possible solutions. Frustrated by the Service's lack of 

 responsiveness, the Commission subseguently drafted the terms of 

 reference for the workshop and provided the initial funds. 



Thanks to these efforts and the competent work of the staff 

 of the Service's Honolulu Laboratory, the International Workshop 

 on the Fate and Impact of Marine Debris was held on 27-29 

 November 1984 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Workshop was the first 

 attempt to carry out a thorough review of the marine debris 

 problem. Its findings, discussed in previous Annual Reports, 

 alerted many governmental and non-governmental groups to the 

 problem and prompted Congress to begin appropriating money to the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service in 1985 to develop and 

 implement a responsive program. These efforts have been carried 

 forward by the Service since then as the Marine Entanglement 

 Research Program. 



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