Cleanups Necessary, Even in the Winter

Volunteers at a foggy Jenness Beach cleanup - the first of the year!

Our first public cleanup of the year showed that cleanups are necessary even in the winter. Luckily, today felt more like a fall or spring day than a day early in January.  Nine of us trekked along Jenness Beach, picking our way around the ice as the fog hovered around us.

The beach was relatively clean-looking - we theorized that the recent heavy seas, winds and tides had washed a lot of debris clear across the beach and into the yards of the beach homes and roadways lining the beach.  Still, we managed to collect 25 pounds of litter in a little under an hour!

Plastic and foam pieces were prevalent, as were cigarette butts and bottle caps.  As is often the case in the winter time, we found lots and lots of dog poop - some even already bagged up.

Thanks to the dog owners who are diligent about picking up after their dogs, and thanks to the beach goers and homeowners who join in our efforts by picking up litter they find that has washed into their yards, or that is on the beach during their walks.  It's unfortunate that we have to pick up litter on the beach at all, but I'd rather pick up pounds and pounds of garbage than think about the effects that litter could have on marine life if it washed out to sea.

Our next cleanups are next weekend - on Saturday, January 18 we have cleanups at North Hampton State Beach at 9 AM, and at Cape Neddick Beach in York, ME at 10 AM. Both are small, beautiful beaches that could use your help! If you'd like to sign up for either of these cleanups, email info@blueoceansociety.org or call the Blue Ocean Society office at 603-431-0260. We hope to see you there! Thanks to the dedicated volunteers who came out today!

Want to support our beach cleanups? Click here to become a member or adopt a whale!

Happy New Year! First Cleanup Jan 11

Winter is a great time to be at the beach!

Happy New Year!

This is a long-overdue post to this blog, but I'm happy to say that the New Year has brought new resolve to post more frequently...starting today!

This is just a quick post to let you know that our first public beach cleanup of the year will be this Saturday, January 11, at 10:30 AM at Jenness Beach in Rye, NH. All supplies will be provided, although you're welcome to bring your own gloves and reusable bags. We'll also have hot coffee available (you'll get bonus points if you bring your own mug!). To learn more about Blue Ocean Society beach cleanups, click here. If you'd like to see data from our Jenness Beach or other cleanups, click here.

The cleanup usually takes 1-1.5 hours, and is conducted rain, snow or shine (unless travel is unsafe). If it is canceled for some reason, we'll post a message on Facebook and leave a message on our answering machine at 603-431-0260.

RSVP'ing is helpful, but not necessary. If you'd like to RSVP, call 603-431-0260 or e-mail info@blueoceansociety.org. We hope to see you there!

An inside look at Waste-to Energy

Derelict fishing gear getting ready to be recycled and turned into energy! Photo courtesy of B. Zeiber, NH Sea Grant

NHSG/UNHCE Extension Specialist, Dr. Gabby Bradt and NHSG Doyle Fellow Katherine Rafuse recently attended a reception for the Fishing For Energy Partnership and got a tour of the facility where N.H.’s marine debris — specifically, derelict fishing gear — is turned into energy.  Dr. Bradt spoke briefly about the progress of the program in NH(which is run in partnership with Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation) .

 

The Fishing for Energy Primary partners. Photo courtesy of B. Zeiber, NH Sea Grant

There are seven ports in northern New England that have dumpsters dedicated to derelict fishing gear, like old lobster traps, fishing nets and monofilament line. This access to dumpsters specifically for fishing gear is critical because most transfer stations won’t take the gear. This past April, the 20+ tons of derelict lobster traps that were collected from NH beaches in the Annual Lobster Trap cleanup, were taken to Covanta Energy, an energy-from-waste plant in Haverhill, Mass., as part of the NH Marine Debris to Energy Program. This program provides a safe, reliable way for fishermen and cleanup volunteers to dispose of the fishing gear they encounter at sea or on the beach.

More than two million pounds of derelict fishing gear has been collected as part of NOAA’s nationwide Marine Debris to Energy Program since 2008. NOAA has partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Schnitzer Steel and Covanta Energy to continue providing the services necessary to collect and convert 300,000 pounds of fishing gear annually into energy for use in our homes.

Fishing rope, derelict lobster traps and other fishing debris. Photo courtesy of B. Zeiber, NH Sea Grant

As a mass-burn facility, Covanta does not need to break down the trash and fishing gear before combusting it. They first recycle whatever they can and remove anything radioactive. Whatever is left gets visually inspected, piled up and picked up by a giant claw and placed in the boiler for combustion.

This Covanta plant has pollution control technologies associated with it, so it’s more than just an incinerator. It captures the energy from the process and sells about 40 Megawatts per hour to the utility companies, or about 1,000 Megawatts per day, powering approximately 40,000 homes in a city the size of Haverhill, said Joe Becker, facility manager at Covanta.

L-R: NHSG Doyle Fellow, Katherine Rafuse, NFWF coordinator, Erin Hoffman, NOAA Marine Debris Program Deputy Director, Nanacy Wallace and NHSG Fisheries Extension Specialist, Dr. Gabby Bradt. Photo courtesy of B. Zeiber, NH Sea Grant

For more information on the energy-from-waste process, please visit: http://www.covantaenergy.com/what-we-do/energy-from-waste.aspx

By Rebecca Zeiber

NH Sea Grant, Communications

Heading to the Shoals, Again

(the following was reprinted from Blue Ocean Society's May 2013 Enewsletter)


This week, we're donning our hard hats and heading out to the Isles of Shoals for another cleanup at Appledore Island. Appledore is the largest of this group of nine islands that lie 5 miles off the coast of Kittery, ME and Rye, NH.

Cleanup Team, September 2012 aboard the fishing vessel Yesterday's Storm

Why the hard hats? While we don't expect any trash to drop on our heads, we are wary of gulls, who nest on the island at this time of year and vigorously defend their nests. During this cleanup, we'll be surveying and removing debris from three spots on the island - three spots we cleaned last year in June, and again in September.

Some of the findings on Appledore Island, June 2012

There's a few reasons for picking these spots. A resurvey will help us figure out how long it takes for marine debris to accumulate in these areas, and what type of debris is washing up. They are also three spots on the island that are less inhabited by gulls at this time of year.

Last year, five of us picked up 557 pounds of debris in 5 hours. This was the first time these 3 areas had been cleaned-up, so we are hoping for less debris this time, but are interested to see what is out there after the stormy winter we had.  We'll keep you posted, and will also post some pictures and updates here on our blog!

There's Lots of Debris, Even in Cold Weather

26 Volunteers picked up 272 pounds of litter during the National Day of Service cleanup at Foss Beach in Rye, NH

This past Saturday (January 19), we cleaned-up Foss Beach in Rye, NH as part of the National Day of Service. The cleanup showed that even in the middle of winter, litter is prevalent on our local beaches - but on a positive note, a big cleanup can be done in a short amount of time!

The cleanup resulted the removal of 272 pounds of marine debris. The 26 volunteers recorded 445 pieces of litter, including: 

11 Gloves

54 Nets/bait bags

3 Floats/buoys

9 Pieces of fishing Line

109 Pieces of Rope >1 m, and 94 pieces of smaller rope

49 Beverage cans

4 Glass bottles

1 Six-pack ring

1 Pile of dog waste (bagged)

27 Plastic bags

41 Plastic bottles

5 Bottle caps

1 Motor oil container

3 Cigarette butts

3 Styrofoam cups

5 Strapping bands (Plus more than 200 other straps, which may have been zip ties (cable ties)). 

Other items of note included a large float bag, a fishing lure, a shotgun shell, 3 combs, 2 shoes, a plastic pail, a rubber boat mat, 3 spoons, a pair of sunglasses, 3 hats, 45 lobster bands and 8 golf balls.

This data will help us learn about trends in marine pollution, help target pollution prevention programs and be used to educate in our school programs and as we speak to other audiences throughout the year.

Want to join us for a cleanup? Check out our schedule of monthly cleanups here.

Marine Debris is a Complicated Issue

Miami... Can't complain about the conference location, especially in December!

Last week, Gabby Bradt from NH Sea Grant and I joined 77 marine debris experts from around the world to look at marine debris from an animal welfare perspective, during the World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA)'s Untangled Symposium in Miami, FL. 

As with many threats facing whales and other marine life, marine debris isn't the most uplifting problem to think about. It is an issue for marine life, who may ingest or become entangled in marine debris such as plastic bags and lost fishing gear.  It is also a very complicated issue, as the creation, prevention and mitigation of marine debris involves so many stakeholders, including all of us, as we all make choices about what we eat, buy and dispose of.  Solutions often need to take into account all these stakeholders, including industry, non-profit organizations and local, state and federal agencies.

Symposium Attendees

New England had good representation at the event, as we were joined by colleagues from Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, Marine Mammals of Maine, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Other countries and areas represented included Virginia (U.S.), Korea, Australia, England, Scotland, Nigeria and Norway.

The first day was spent giving presentations about our marine debris initiatives. Gabby and I presented information about our Isles of Shoals cleanups this summer, using them to talk about the legal challenges involved in removing fishing gear from the environment, and protection of seabirds such as terns and gulls.

Gabby Bradt discusses cleanups in seabird sanctuaries at the Isles of Shoals

We then joined working groups to develop a list of the largest marine debris problems and to come up with possible solutions. The conference gave us a chance to learn new ideas, connect with colleagues, and talk about potential solutions and partnerships to address marine debris in New England, and around the world.

We learned that challenges we face here occur all over the world - cleaning up marine debris involves a lot of planning, coordination, and multiple organizations/agencies in many cases, and sometimes it seems to be a never-ending problem. But we were inspired by the fact that so many great organizations are working to prevent and clean up marine debris, and know that our cumulative impacts worldwide are making a difference.  We are looking forward to the follow-up report from WSPA, and hope to share that with you in the future.

What can you do?  

• Here are some ways you can prevent marine debris:
• Always dispose of your trash responsibly
• Pick up litter when you're at the beach or on a walk.
• Buy items with less packaging to reduce waste
• Repurpose, reuse and recycle when you can
• Never release a balloon outside
• Use reusable bags, bottles and mugs instead of disposables

Have other ideas? Share them on our Facebook page,  or by email to info(at)blueoceansociety.org.

A room full of engaged marine debris experts

Who Knew?

Last night I was on Facebook looking at the silly and the maddening, the cute kids, brides and the "science-y" posts.  In any case, I ran across two very interesting articles that elicited two very different reactions on essentially the same subject matter- PLASTIC.  The first was this link to a great story about Method- a small soap company- that has introduced a new bottle made entirely from recovered ocean plastic!  I eagerly clicked on the link, read the article and I inwardly cheered- see humans are not so awful and uncaring- and immediately reposted on my wall and I pinned it onto my Plastics Board on Pinterest. Indeed- it is a very cool accomplishment for Method and it has achieved- at least with me- what I am sure was the driving factor behind this eco-groovy bottle- money!  Yes- I am that cynical- however, I also applaud this effort and thus am planning to continue buying this soap because  I believe in supporting a company that at leasts invests some of that money into something so eco-worthy and hopefully other companies will follow suit.  If one company is successful then others will jump on the bandwagon!

Shortly after reading this GOOD piece of news, my finger clicked on this link to a short piece about what Curiosity, the rover exploring Mars, had come upon.  Yep- you guessed it- an as yet to be identified but more than likely piece of PLASTIC.  And just like that my thoughts returned to- people are really going to ruin not only this planet but apparently we are beginning to pollute Mars!  I actually said under my breath- Is this a joke? And then I immediately posted the link to my Facebook wall.

So why am I going on about this?  Well, because as I am thinking about both of these posts, I realized that I am thinking a lot about plastic and marine pollution these days.  It is a topic that is constantly in my thoughts either in my personal life or my work.  Every time I am at the grocery store and I reach to buy something- I think- is this ok? This is too much plastic.  I shouldn't buy it but we need it.  Do I have my reusable bag? If I don't- make sure you tell them that you'd rather have paper. NO- I don't want my plastic-wrapped chicken in more plastic thanks! I have tried and continue to try to reduce my plastic consumption.  I made the change to cloth diapers but I must say- I still have to use disposables at night otherwise my kids wake up sopping wet.  I try to buy our milk in glass bottles from local dairies. I use my reusable cup more often than not these days.  I hoard bottle caps and am trying to figure out where to recycle them.

As I was reading those two pieces- I became aware that through plastic (and marine debris and derelict fishing gear) I have found something that makes me want to go to work, makes me write grants and makes me want to save the world- well at least the world's oceans.

Who knew that plastic held such powers?

I certainly did not think that eight months ago I would become so involved and invested both professionally and personally in this cause.  I also did not imagine that through my collaborations with Blue Ocean Society (which I inherited) that I would get to spend working hours on gorgeous days on the water, on islands, on sailboats meeting and working with people on both sides of the issue.

Who knew plastic and garbage would open doors for me while at the same time stimulate my brain, develop arm muscles and finally feel like through this, my work matters- in some way- what we do matters.  But more than anything else, who knew, that I would become someone who is more than just words and "beliefs"- I am now a person of action (or at least I can say I am doing the best that I can).

Plastic and marine debris- really? Who Knew?

Plastic and debris took us to the Isles of Shoals!

Plastic and debris leads us to contemplate the beauty of  where we live!

The reason we do this...

Every little bit weighs something and counts for  a lot...

Plastic and trash and we still smile...