An estimated 14 billion pounds of trash-most of it plastic -is dumped in the world’s oceans every year. In the united states 10.5 million tons of waste is generated a year but recycle only 1 or 2 % of it.
Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1 million marine animals and birds in the Pacific Ocean. Over half this plastic is less than 60 mm- or a quarter inch. These tiny plants and animals are the base of the ocean food web, and animals consuming plankton from herring to whales are ingesting plastic. The plastic doesn’t go away, it just gets smaller. Approximately 70% of plastic sinks to the bottom where it sits like a time bomb, waiting to be assimilated.
As part of our ongoing mission to save our oceans we run underwater clean ups every month. We rotate around different dive sites in our area so as to maintain a good overall sweep of our local area. Once completed we register the debris that we find into an international database where the information is used to look at overall patterns of marine debris to track sources.
We welcome all volunteers on these clean ups and if you would like to come and join us clean up the ocean then you are welcome to. Dates for the clean ups are listed on our calendar along with our other events so please contact us to participate.
We ask for a minimum of open water certification to take past.