Kitri Byers/Alaska Sea Grant 



they recreate in and, in some cases, the 

 animals that inhabit it. This commonal- 

 ity may be the basis for reaching this 

 group and for gaining the cooperation 

 needed to reduce recreational marine 

 debris worldwide. 



Economic research has shown that 

 people value clean recreational beaches 

 even if they don't use them yearly. Ac- 

 cording to a resource valuation study by 

 Duke University economist Kerry 

 Smith, a Sea Grant researcher, people 

 surveyed in North Carolina and New 

 Jersey indicated a willingness to pay 



extra income taxes or user fees to keep 

 beaches litter-free. And their willingness 

 to pay was not affected by how fre- 

 quently they visited. Those who hadn't 

 seen a sandy shoreline in more than a 

 year prior to the survey were just as 

 eager to reach for their wallets as those 

 who had dipped their toes in the sand 

 within the last 12 months. 



The study indicates that people 

 value their leisure time and the environ- 

 ment where they recreate. When they do 

 have time to cast a line, hoist their sails 

 or roll out their beach towels, they want 



the area to be as pristine as possible and, 

 if need be, they'll pay for the pleasure. 



An array of actions must be em- 

 ployed to address the problem of recre- 

 ational marine debris. Although many 

 reduction efforts will be directed at 

 recreationists, there are upstream points 

 of intervention — product design, prod- 

 uct packaging, retail methods, legal 

 actions, education — for eliminating 

 recreational debris. Debris management 

 doesn't have to focus only on waste 

 once it is produced. 



Once discarded, six-pack rings pose 

 an entanglement danger for wildlife. 

 ITW Hi-Cone, a worldwide manufac- 

 turer of plastic six-pack rings, has tack- 

 led the problem at the product design 

 and manufacture stage. Hi-Cone first 

 designed a photodegradable six-pack 

 ring that degraded in four to five weeks 

 under average sunlight conditions. 

 Then the company incorporated tear 

 tabs so that each ring could be broken 

 when the can is removed. Hi-Cone real- 

 ized that people could not be depended 

 upon to always dispose of their product 

 properly, so they worked at ways to 

 modify their product design to reduce its 

 potential impact. More manufacturers of 

 common marine debris products should 

 use their design expertise to look for 

 solutions. 



But clearly, product design cannot 

 eliminate marine debris; it can only 



Size, diversity and impacts aside, 

 recreational users have 

 one common bond — 

 their love of the environment 

 they recreate in and, 

 in some cases, 

 the animals that inhabit it. 

 This commonality may be 

 the basis for reaching this group 

 and for gaining the cooperation 

 needed to reduce recreational 

 marine debris worldwide. 



lessen the impact. The burden still lies 

 squarely on the shoulders of product 

 users. People must understand that their 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 9 



