A Sea of Change

Join the worldwide effort to clean up Florida’s waterways during the annual International Coastal Cleanup Day, tomorrow September 20th.

As the world’s largest volunteer cleanup event of its kind gears up, Floridians can do their part to tackle coastal pollution and contribute to healthy waterways here at home. The annual event provides a direct, tangible way for individuals to make a difference in one of the nation’s most widespread environmental problems. In 2007, 378,000 volunteers from 76 countries and 45 states cleared six million pounds of trash from oceans and waterways! Last year in Florida alone, 29,800 volunteers collected 443,664 pounds of trash from local beaches, rivers, lakes and wetlands along 1,907 miles of coast and shorelines.

More than an eyesore, marine litter is an environmental hazard that kills more than one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles each year. Discarded monofilament fishing line is probably the single-most dangerous debris item accounting for 65 percent of the entanglements found in 2007. Monofilament line can wrap around turtle and dolphin flippers causing loss of circulation and amputation, or inflict cuts that may become infected. Entanglement can also cause animals to smother, starve and drown, prevent them from feeding their young or make them more vulnerable to predators.

Ingestion of non-food items, such as plastic sandwich bags also becomes a risk factor when improperly disposed of in coastal waterways. Often mistaken for jellyfish by turtles, it can block their digestive tracts or create a false sense of fullness, leading to starvation. It can also become lodged in their windpipes causing suffocation. And sharp objects, like metal and broken glass, can perforate animals’ stomachs when ingested causing internal bleeding.

In the 2007 cleanup, more than 50 percent of all debris collected came from shoreline and recreational activities, 33 percent came from smoking-related activities, and almost two million cigarettes/filters were picked up from coastlines worldwide.

Area site Captains will provide volunteers with trash bags, gloves, data cards, pencils, bug spray and sunscreen. Join the army of Florida volunteers this year to support a “Sea of Change."

Data collected from each event is compiled by The Ocean Conservancy and can be found at http://www.oceanconservancy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home.