Chapter VII 
IMPACTS OF MARINE DEBRIS 
Plastic and other synthetic material lost or inten- 
tionally discarded into the marine environment kill or 
injure individuals of many marine species, including 
marine mammals. In particular, derelict fishing nets 
and traps, rope and line, strapping bands, and other 
such debris may entangle marine mammals, seabirds, 
turtles, fish, and crustaceans. Entangled animals may 
drown, lose their ability to catch food or avoid 
predators, or incur wounds and infections from the 
chafing of attached debris. 
Marine animals also may ingest debris associated 
with prey or debris that in shape or color resembles 
natural prey items. Once ingested, synthetic materials 
may block digestive tracts, perforate or otherwise 
damage stomach linings, create a false sense of 
Satiation that lessens the feeding drive, or reduce the 
normal uptake of nutrients through the digestive tract. 
While instances of interactions between animals 
and debris have been reported in the scientific litera- 
ture for many years, it was not until the early 1980s 
that the potential scope of such occurrences became a 
source of concern. Recognizing the need for a careful 
examination of the issue, the Marine Mammal Com- 
mission provided initial funding and terms of refer- 
ence for what became the first international sympo- 
sium on marine debris. It was convened by the 
National Marine Fisheries Service in November 1984. 
The results of that meeting, entitled the Workshop 
on the Fate and Impact of Marine Debris (see Appen- 
dix C, Shomura and Yoshida 1985), suggested that 
marine debris was affecting a wide range of species 
throughout the world’s oceans and that interactions 
between debris and marine life were far more frequent 
than previously thought. Among the species affected 
were some of the most endangered forms of marine 
life, including Hawaiian monk seals, right whales, 
West Indian manatees, and Kemp’s ridley and green 
sea turtles in the United States. The workshop 
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findings served to identify marine debris as a serious 
form of ocean pollution whose effects went far beyond 
aesthetic impacts. As a consequence, the workshop 
set in motion national and international actions to 
study and prevent marine debris pollution. 
As described in previous annual reports, since the 
1984 workshop, the Marine Mammal Commission has 
remained actively involved in developing domestic and 
international programs to address marine debris 
pollution. Its activities during 1992, as well as those 
of some of the other involved agencies and groups, 
are discussed below. 
The Marine Entanglement 
Research Program 
In response to the results from the 1984 workshop 
and other information on the effects of marine debris, 
the U.S. Congress appropriated $1,000,000 to the 
National Marine Fisheries Service in 1985 to develop 
a program to study and mitigate marine debris pollu- 
tion. The Marine Mammal Commission, in consulta- 
tion with the Service, played a lead role designing the 
initial program. Since then work has been carried 
forward through the Service’s Marine Entanglement 
Research Program with annual appropriations from 
Congress ranging from $700,000 to $750,000. As 
directed by Congress, the Service has obtained the 
Commission’s concurrence on how annual appropria- 
tions are to be spent. 
On 10-11 June 1992 the Service convened a 
program planning meeting at the Northwest Fisheries 
Science Center to identify funding priorities for Fiscal 
Year 1993. A representative of the Commission 
participated in the meeting. Based on its results, the 
Service developed a proposed program plan that was 
provided to the Commission for review on 24 Novem- 
