good as the reasons may be for reduc- 

 ing waterborne debris, however, they 

 are not enough to bring about wide- 

 spread change in behavior. Only hard 

 data showing the extent of the impacts 

 will give marine debris standing among 

 the scores of other pressing environ- 

 mental concerns. 



Recreational Debris 



Our oceans offer more than 

 tonight's dinner or a highway for global 

 travel. They provide hours of fun for 

 boaters, recreational anglers, divers and 

 beachgoers — everyone from the sun- 

 bather to the surfer to the camper. 



But in pursuit of sun, fun and 

 ocean spray, recreationists often leave 

 behind or toss overboard the byproducts 

 of their day on the water or at the 

 beach. Boaters often toss ice bags, food 

 wrappings and eating utensils into the 

 water. Likewise, anglers drop discarded 

 fishing line, bait bags, floats and lures 

 overboard. Landside, beachgoers leave 

 behind the trappings of their picnics, the 

 contents of their coolers or the 

 byproducts of their leisure — surfboard 

 wax, suntan lotion bottles, ear plugs and 

 toys. 



Because of its sheer numbers — 70 

 million boaters in the United States, 4 

 million certified scuba divers world- 

 wide, 250 million American anglers 

 and untold millions who visit beaches 

 from the Mediterranean to Australia to 



Marine debris is like the flu. 

 It affects everybody 

 at one time or another. 

 But it creates the worst problems 

 for those who are already unhealthy 

 — particularly endangered species. 

 Waterborne litter is yet another form 



of pollution that damages the 

 carrying capacity of certain species. 



the United States — this group offers 

 resource managers a tremendous chal- 

 lenge. In many countries, including the 

 United States, recreationists are poten- 

 tially the number one source of marine 

 debris. Although no reliable data exist 



Discarded rope and netting from commercial fishing lodge on rocky Alaska shores. 



for the amount of litter they generate, 

 their numbers alone make them suspect. 



As daunting as their size is their 

 diversity, varying from the owner of a 

 multimillion-dollar yacht to the angler 

 fishing for his next meal. And few 

 recreationists belong to organizations 

 such as fishing clubs, dive organizations 

 and boating groups where they can be 

 collectively reached with information. 

 Their diversity and lack of structure can 

 mean only one thing. Efforts at control- 

 ling recreational debris will have to be 

 multifaceted and individualized. 



But efforts must be made. Resource 

 managers agree that recreational litter 

 has the likelihood for the greatest impact 

 on wildlife because of where it is dis- 

 carded. Most recreational activities oc- 

 cur near shore, the area where wildlife 

 concentrations are greatest. The combi- 

 nation of wildlife and litter is often a 

 deadly one, especially when litter such 

 as fishing line and plastic bags are in- 

 volved. 



Size, diversity and impacts aside, 

 recreational users have one common 

 bond — their love of the environment 



8 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1994 



