This paper examines marine debris as a pressing global environmental problem, tracing its origins from human waste generation to its accumulation in the world's oceans. It reviews the scale of the issue — including the United States' disproportionate contribution to solid waste — and highlights the inadequacy of existing national laws and international treaties such as the UN's 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea. The paper focuses on NOAA's Marine Debris Program as a coordinating body, surveying its educational initiatives and partnerships with international agencies. It also highlights the Republic of Korea's incentive-based approach to engaging fishermen in debris collection as a model adaptable to other coastal nations.
Trash has been a part of human civilization since at least the Neanderthals began tossing excess foods, waste, and broken items into their caves. It is directly linked to human development, both socially and technologically. Historically, the composition of wastes has varied, with the Industrial Revolution and subsequent innovation producing a significant 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 half 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 its way toward the ocean. Some is intentional or accidental discharge from ships; the rest enters the oceans via rivers, wind, sewers, and beachgoers (Janes, 2005). Because of the number and diversity of sources, and the way in which modern containers — particularly plastic — 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 merely 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 from country to country, there are no comprehensive international programs designed to assess and limit marine debris, or to remove waste already in the system. The United Nations has a 1982 Convention on the Law of the 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 tasked with monitoring the conditions of the world's oceans and atmosphere, understands that issues affecting the oceans are global in scope 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 center within NOAA and several global agencies, including the United Nations. It is tasked with the coordination, strengthening, and education of the public and private sectors regarding the effects of marine debris.
In the last decade, NOAA's Marine Debris Program has focused its efforts on the international community — helping to identify, reduce, prevent, and, where possible, clean up marine debris pollution. While educating fishermen globally is challenging due to language and cultural barriers, logistics, and other factors, several programs are in place that could be adapted to any language and diverse culture in order to help fishermen understand that their actions today will have a serious effect on their own economic future (Coe, 1996). Among some of the most successful global programs are the following:
Marine Debris 101 — A website that informs users about the sources, impacts, and solutions related to marine debris. Information may be downloaded; posters, guidebooks, and activities are customized for fishermen, boaters, students, and tourists.
Alliance for the Great Lakes — An educational resource for elementary school children that addresses the balance of the Great Lakes ecosystem in the oceanic environment.
American Plastics Council — Easily adapted for foreign audiences, this resource helps consumers and businesses understand the impact of plastics in the modern world and the danger they pose to the oceans.
NOAA Sea Grant Programs and Announcements — Easily adaptable to other cultures, these include public service announcements, guidance for reducing fishing gear waste, facts about marine litter, and ways to improve waterway health.
Videos — Easily dubbed into a variety of languages, these materials are accessible to most fishing boats, which typically have access to a VCR or DVD player. Given that fishermen spend long periods at sea, funding should be made available for countries to distribute locally produced materials to fishermen alongside appropriate licensing documentation.
"Korea's fishermen incentive cleanup model"
"Three-part framework for international debris management"
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