Trash Has Been a Part

¶ … Trash has been a part of human civilization since at least the Neanderthal began tossing excess foods, waste, and broken items into their caves. It is directly linked to human development, both socially and technologically. Historically, the compositions of wastes have varied, with the Industrial Revolution and subsequent innovation providing a huge spike in excess waste. As a nation, the United States generates more waste than any other country -- 4.5 pounds of solid waste per person/per day -- over 1/2 of which is residential garbage ("Zero Waste America, 2008). Unfortunately, some of this trash, the debris of modern living, often ends up in our waterways, making a path toward the ocean. Some is intentional or accidental discharge from ships; the rest comes into the oceans via rivers, wind, sewers, and anyone who utilizes the beaches (Janes, 2005). Because of the number and diversity of sources, and the way in which modern containers (plastic, etc.) not only travel long distances, but remain intact, marine debris is a serious global concern (National Academies Press, 2008). Because of the interconnectedness of the global environment, marine debris is not a national problem -- it is indiscriminate in its harm to marine wildlife, the degradation of ocean habitats, interference with navigation and water safety, fishing, coastal communities, human health and disease vectors, and the global economy (Ofiara, 2001, pp. 103-8; Williams, 1999).

There are certainly a variety of national laws and regulations designed to protect individual waterways and to limit the disposal of garbage in the oceans. However effective these may be country to country, though, there are no comprehensive, international programs designed to assess and limit marine debris, or to remove what waste is already in the system. The United Nations has a 1982 Convention on Law and Sea Treaty, which describes the rights and responsibilities of all nations, but offers no assurance of compliance.

Fortunately, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a federal agency that is tasked with the conditions of the world's oceans and atmosphere, understands that issues that effect the oceans are global in span and must be treated as global in diplomacy, policy, and education. NOAA has a Marine Debris Program that serves as a centralized information and action/development center with NOAA and several global agencies, including the United Nations. It is tasked with the coordination, strengthening, and education to the public and private sector regarding the effects of marine debris. In the last decade, NOAA-MDP has focused its efforts on the international community -- helping to identify, reduce, prevent, and where possible, clean up, marine debris pollution. While it is difficult to educate fishermen globally due to a variety of factors: language and cultural barriers, logistics, etc., there are several programs in place that could be adapted to any language and diverse culture in order to help fishermen, in particular, understand that their actions today will have a serious affect on their own economic future of tomorrow (Coe. 1996). Among some of the most successful global programs:

Marine Debris 101 -- A website that informs on the sources, impacts, and solutions of marine debris. Information may be downloaded; there are posters, guidebooks, and activities customized for fishermen, boaters, students, and tourists. See: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/marinedebris101/welcome.html

Alliance for the Great Lakes -- educational resource for elementary school children to address the balance of the Great Lakes Eco-System in the Oceanic environment. See: http://www.greatlakes.org/Page.aspx?pid=340

American Plastics Council -- Easily adapted to foreign audiences, helps consumers and businesses understand the impact of plastics in the modern world, and the danger to the oceans. See: www.plasticbagrecycling.org

NOAA Sea Grant Programs and announcements -- Again, easily adapted to other cultures, there are public service announcements, help for reducing fishing gear waste, facts about marine litter, and ways to improve the waterways. See: http://www.masgc.org/pdf/masgp/04-042.pdf; http://www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/resources/factsheets/litter_mess.htm

Videos -- Easily dubbed into a variety of languages; most fishing boats have access to a VCR or DVD player, fishermen are out to sea for long periods of time, funding should be available to have countries send these, or locally produced, materials to fishermen along with appropriate licensing materials. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKfdfxmTsK4; http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/video.html; http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/video.html.

Because of the value of the marine economy to the Republic of Korea, and thanks to lobbying from NOAA, in 2008 the NOAA-MDP and the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Korea met to discuss and develop mutually effective strategies to address the impact of marine debris -- many of these strategies international in their application (NOAA Projects -- Korea; http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/projects/koreajpa.html).