Download Part 3 - Marine Conservation Society

www.mcsuk.org/silentseas
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www.mcsuk.org/silentseas
Marine litter directly
harms wildlife
through entanglement
and ingestion.
Conservative
estimates have shown
that plastic affects
267 species worldwide
including birds,
turtles and marine
mammals.19
Over 90% of the gannet nests on Grassholm
Island in the Bristol Channel contain plastic litter,
entangling and killing chicks.20
96% of autopsied North Sea fulmars had plastic
in their stomachs which they had mistaken for
food.21
Most species of marine turtle are known to
ingest marine litter. Leatherback turtles washing
up on UK shores often have plastic in their guts.
Dead albatross full of plastic litter.
Some sea areas contain over 46,000 pieces of
litter per square mile.17
In the United Kingdom the MCS Beachwatch
campaign has shown that plastic litter increased
by a staggering 126% since the annual survey
began in 1994.18
“
“
Plastics are now the
most common manmade item sighted at
sea.
Since the dawn of the plastic
era in the 1950s, the amount
of plastic products in the
flotsam has been growing at
an exponential rate.
Rebecca Hosking
BBC Natural History filmaker and
plastic bag campaigner
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www.mcsuk.org/silentseas
The sea is vast, with
opportunities for life
to take hold in many
places. Plastic debris
provides an ideal
mode of transport for
alien species.
Unlike ships, floating plastic fragments are not
coated in antifoulant paints. As they are moved
only by wind and current they cross climatic
zones slowly so attached animals or plants are
not subject to temperature shocks.
Introduced alien species may outcompete
native species, leading to a reduction in global
biodiversity.
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“
“
Once introduced, a marine
alien species has never been
successfully removed
Plastic surfaces can
accumulate pollutants such
as polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs) and heavy metals
at concentrations up to 1
million times higher than in
ocean water.
C.J. Moore et al 22
“
In some places
there are now more
microplastic fragments
in the seawater than
zooplankton.22
Microplastic fragments absorb and concentrate
toxic pollutants from the surrounding seawater.
The fragments may then be ingested by marine
invertebrates, and subsequently passed up the
food chain.
“
Once in the
environment plastic
never really goes
away. It just breaks
down into smaller and
smaller pieces.
A plastic bottlecap takes on the look of an
ancient coin as it is weathered and colonised
by marine animals.
Dr David Barnes
Marine Biologist with British
Antarctic Survey
A scallop covered in non native slipper limpets.
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www.mcsuk.org/silentseas
Awareness about the growing problem of
beach litter motivates tens of thousands of
Britons. Between 1999 and 2007, over 42,000
MCS Adopt-a-Beach volunteers surveyed
1,773.5 km of UK beaches, collecting three and
a half million litter items in 28,997 bags that
weighed over 136,000 kg.
“
Through my art
I try to create
ripples of interest,
which I hope will
grow into waves
as people are
inspired to take
action themselves.
Fran Crowe
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Suffolk Artist Fran Crowe was so appalled to
learn of the sheer volume of plastic litter at
sea that she set out on a a year long mission to
collect 46,000 pieces of plastic litter and created
a range of installation artworks to draw attention
to the problem.
“
The Marine
Conservation
Society’s Beachwatch
survey shows that
the greatest source of
litter on our beaches
is public littering.
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www.mcsuk.org/silentseas
clean seas safe seas
Involving people in our fight for ocean recovery has been at
the core of MCS success throughout its 25-year journey and
continues to be a key driver for change. Silent Seas is a call for
action from Government, industry and individuals.
MCS will give a voice to everyone who believes we can and
must all play a part in turning the tide on pollution and
achieving clean seas and beaches.
MCS calls on Governments to:
MCS calls on everyone to:
Direct an appointed government body to
establish and implement a marine litter
strategy including research, reduction and
prevention measures.
Work with signatory countries to ensure the
statutory enforcement of waste reduction
measures under the OSPAR and MARPOL
Conventions.
Invest in enforcement of domestic legislation
covering the proper disposal and clearance
of litter from land and aquatic environments.
Extend existing Port Waste Reception
Facilities to include fishing vessels.
Properly enforce current legislation for the
protection and progressive improvement
of the aquatic environment, and ensure
polluters pay costs that truly reflect the
damage they cause.
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MCS calls on industry to:
Improve water treatment storage capacity
and combined sewer overflows to reduce
the discharge of untreated sewage and
sewage derived litter to rivers and the sea
during heavy rainfall.
Appropriately label all bathroom and
sanitary products, particularly those that
contain plastic, as non-flushable.
Tighten packing, transport and shipping
procedures to reduce the loss of plastic
pellets to the marine environment.
Reduce their use of plastic packaging, and
reuse and recycle wherever possible. First
steps can be as simple as avoiding plastic
shopping bags, bottled drinking water and
over-packaged goods.
Take responsibility for safe disposal of
all litter items whether at home, work or
on holiday, using bins provided, and not
flushing plastic products.
Support clean up schemes to remove litter
from the environment before it reaches the
sea.
MCS will inform
• The widest possible audience on bathing
water quality around the UK through
the MCS Good Beach Guide www.
goodbeachguide.co.uk
• Government, industry and the public
of the amounts of litter on UK beaches,
its impacts and the solutions, through
publication of the results of the annual
MCS Beachwatch surveys and targeted
educational and media campaigns.
MCS will involve
volunteers in Beachwatch and Adopta-Beach litter clean ups and surveys to
quantify and identify the main types and
sources of litter for targeted action at local
and national levels. .
MCS will influence
industry and Government to develop
policies and practices that reduce the key
sources and types of pollution affecting our
estuaries, beaches and seas.
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www.mcsuk.org/silentseas
“
Never has it been so important
to take immediate action to
protect marine life and ensure the
sustainable management of the
many resources and benefits that
our seas provide to us all.
The Marine Conservation Society is
at the very heart of this fight. For
all our sakes, let us hope that it is as
successful in the next quarter of a
century as it has been in the last.
“
HRH The Prince of Wales
MCS President
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www.mcsuk.org/silentseas
speaking up for our seas
As a result of the Marine
Conservation Society’s
work over 25 years,
marine conservation is
increasingly in the public
eye and in the minds of
those in whose hands the
future of our seas lie.
MCS will inspire
this and future
generations to take an
active interest in the
seas around them and
become champions for
the sea.
MCS Cool Seas Roadshow reached over
50,000 children
20,000 volunteers participated in MCS litter surveys
100 towns registered with MCS to go plastic bag free
MCS will involve
500,000 visitors to the MCS goodbeachguide website
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people in making a real
difference on their coast
and in their towns, with
practical projects and
surveys.
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www.mcsuk.org/silentseas
MCS will inform
and inmfluence
Government on the
issues affecting our
seas and the policies
needed to achieve our
common vision.
350,000 MCS pocket good fish guides
distributed
Over 100,000 pledges of support for the
MCS marine reserves now campaign
To achieve our vision
for clean seas and
beaches, sustainable
fisheries and marine life
protection, MCS must
reach every household,
every politician, and
every business with the
message that the sea
is important to them
and that we can redress
the years of pollution,
overfishing and neglect.
Top supermarkets have changed their seafood buying policies
MCS will inform
and engage
industry on the
development and
promotion of best
sustainable practice
200,000 hits a month on www.fishonline.org
speaking up for our seas
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our seas in
safe hands
Loch Duart
Loch Duart Ltd’s sub-title is ‘The Sustainable Salmon
Company’ which is a statement of commitment
for the ethical farming of salmon. Loch Duart’s
environmental policies include ‘swim throughs’
instead of using antifoulants, one year fallows,
nutrient balancing and a sustainable feed
formulation. Loch Duart was the first salmon farm
in the world to be RSPCA Freedom Food approved
and they won the national “Vision in Business for the
Environment of Scotland” Award in 2005, an award
which “is presented to companies demonstrating
exceptional environmental performance”.
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Waitrose
Waitrose has been working on the sustainable and
responsible sourcing for all of its comprehensive
range of fish for over 10 years. They have a rigorous
policy covering the management of the fishery, the
species, methods of capture and full traceability with
a clear mission to sell only sustainably caught fish in
all of their stores. This policy extends to the feed for
their farmed fish which they rear with high regard for
both the quality and welfare of the fish and impact
on the environment.
To help our mission to protect our seas, shores and wildlife, and in
recognition of MCS’ 25th Anniversary, the Oceans 25 Ambassador
partnership initiative has been launched. These Oceans 25
Ambassadors share our vision of clean seas, sustainable fisheries
and protection for sea life, and have pledged their support to help
the Society achieve even greater success. These companies show
that not just individuals and Government, but business too can and
should play a positive role in protecting our seas.
Loch Fyne Ltd
Loch Fyne started with one inspirational idea – to
grow oysters in the clear, fertile waters of Loch Fyne
– and has since developed into a cluster of businesses
at which issues of sustainability are at the very heart.
Through staff training, provision of information for
customers, and careful fish sourcing, Loch Fyne does
all it can to protect UK fish stocks via supporting
sustainable fishing, artisanal suppliers and nondestructive fishing practices.
Dragon Feeds
Demand for farmed fish worldwide is at an all time
high, however one of the crucial issues that the
fish farming industry currently faces is the amount
of wild-capture fish currently used to feed farmed
fish. New sources of marine oil and protein are
required to sustain this growth and Dragon Feeds are
leading in this field by working to further develop an
innovative sustainable, fish-free fish feed in the form
of ragworm, now in use globally. This work has the
potential to greatly contribute to the sustainability of
fish farming and the health of UK seas and beyond.
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Illustrations
Thanks for your support
Support from many sources has
helped MCS achieve success over
the last 25 years and MCS wishes to
extend its gratitude to those that
have given a significant* helping
hand along the way.
Cheltenham & Gloucester – supporting MCS Good Beach
Guide 2000-2002 and MCS Marine Turtle Conservation
Programme 2000 – 2003.
Charitable trusts and foundations have
played a key role in enabling MCS to
continue its work and we would like
to thank all those who have lent their
generous support including:
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation for their support over many
years for MCS litter, fisheries and biodiversity programmes.
Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation for support of MCS
campaigns on plastic bags, turtle conservation and coral
reef conservation.
Countryside Council for Wales – supporting MCS marine
conservation projects in Wales since 1998.
Save Our Seas Foundation for support of MCS Cool Seas
Roadshow.
Debenhams – supporting MCS core work from 2007 to
2010 through a partnership with their clothing brand
‘Mantaray’.
The Underwood Trust for support of MCS conservation
projects in Scotland.
Department for Environment, Northern Ireland
– supporting Seasearch partnership project since 2005.
Also, The Bromley Trust, The Peacock Trust, Saints and
Sinners Trust, Valentine Charitable Trust, and many
others for their invaluable support of MCS’s core work over
many years.
Hurtigruten – supporting MCS core work from 2007present, through a donation for each customer, and
funding satellite tags for the MCS Satellite Tracking Marine
Turtle Programme.
Silent Seas
acknowledgements
London Aquarium – supporting MCS Adopt-a-Beach and
Marine Reserves Now projects in 2007-2008.
The production of Silent Seas would not have been
possible without the support and input from many
individuals, in particular:
Marks & Spencer – supporting MCS core via contributions
from the Turtle Bag initiative.
Natural England (incorporating former English Nature
and Countryside Agency) – supporting various MCS
marine biodiversity projects since 1998.
PADI Project AWARE – supporting various MCS marine
conservation projects since 2000.
Readers Digest – supported MCS Campaign for Clean
Seas including the Good Beach Guide and Beachwatch
1993-1999.
Scottish Natural Heritage – supporting MCS marine
conservation projects in Scotland since 1999.
SeaFrance - supporting MCS Adopt-a-Beach campaign
2008-2010.
The Crown Estate – supporting MCS Campaign for Clean
Seas, including the Good Beach Guide and Beachwatch
2001 - 2008.
*sponsors and funders that have provided support in excess of £25,000 in total over
www.heartagency.com
Dulverton Trust for their support for both MCS core work
and marine reserves initiative.
Countdown 2010 Biodiversity Action Fund (Natural
England/Defra) - supported MCS Cool Seas Roadshow
2006-2008.
Defra Environmental Action Fund – supported MCS
Adopt-a-Beach project 2002-2005.
MCS is indebted to the Heart Agency and its illustrators, as well as the freelance
illustrators who generously contributed their time and talent to produce the
amazing illustrations that bring Silent Seas to life.
Ceri Amphlett
Luke Best
Barry Falls
Tom Gauld
Jonny Hannah
Lara Harwood
Ben Kirchner
Michael Kirkham
Stuart Kolakovic
Roderick Mills
Simon Pemberton
Adam Simpson
John Broadley
Robin Chevalier
Rebecca Gibbon
Jonny Mendelsohn
Toby Morison
Paul Davis
Paul Davis
MCS Staff : Dr Simon Brockington, Samantha Fanshawe,
Sue Ranger, Marianne Steele
Expert contributors: Dr David Barnes, Charles Clover,
Alastair Fothergill, Kate Humble, Dr Stuart Jenkins, Dr Dan
Laffoley, Dr Charles Sheppard, Dr Richard Thompson, Prof
Callum Roberts, Fran Crowe, Prof Andrew Brierley
Thanks to all MCS members, volunteers, Trustees and staff
for their input and dedicated work to support MCS in its
mission to protect our seas, shores and wildlife:
Gill Bell, Thomas Bell, David Bevan, Pam Bridgewater,
Calum Duncan, Chris Hall, Richard Harrington, Ann
Hunt, Dr Sue Kinsey, Melissa Moore, Clare Perez, Melissa
Pritchard, Dawn Purchase, Peter Richardson, Anne
Saunders, Emma Snowden, Dr Jean-luc Solandt, Katherine
Stephenson, Ryan Townley, Sam Wilding, Chris Wood, Dr
Elizabeth Wood. (MCS staff at September 2008)
Text © MCS/2008
Paul Davis
Lesley Frampton
the past 10 years.
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Cover Design and layout: Sue Ranger/MCS
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Photographs
1
Earth NASA
5
Fishing boat Peter Richardson/MCS
Basking shark Charles Hood
Cornish beach Peter Richardson/MCS
17
Atlantic spotted dolphin Judith Scott
18
Supermarket fish counter Sue Ranger/MCS
24
Common skate Calum Duncan/MCS
25
Leatherback turtle Courtesy of the Scottish
Fisheries Museum, Anstruther
26
Jellyfish Mike Bailey
27/8
CLOCKWISE
Jewel anemones Paul Kay
Basking shark Gavin Parsons
Grey seal pup Charlie Phillips
Tompot blenny Mark Thomas
Shallows Mark Thomas
Leatherback turtle Mike Daines
Cuttlefish Paul Kay
Urchin Paul Kay
Corkwing wrasse Paul Naylor
Barrel jellyfish Paul Parsons
School of fish Paul Kay
32
Dahlia anemone and brittlestars Paul Naylor
38
Green algae, Medway Dave Lowthian EA
39/40 FROM TOP LEFT
Plastic bottle Tim Fanshawe
Plastic bottles Steve Trewhella
Litter in gannets nest Steve Votier
Bird entangled in discarded net David Peake
Bird entangled in balloon ribbons Christine
McGuinness
Diver with litter collected underwater NARC
Various litter KWT
Seal pup surrounded by litter Skomer Island
Marine Nature Reserve Staff
Rubber glove Alison Conway/MCS
Sanitary waste Janice Mudge
Tin can Ewan Kane
Plastic bottles Steve Trewhella
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References
References
Cans in a line Karen Harvey
Cotton bud sticks KWT
Fish crate Gill Bell/MCS
Plastic figure Tim Fanshawe/MCS
Gannet entangled in fishing line Steve
Trewhella
Small fragments of litter on a pebble beach
Tim Fanshawe/MCS
Bottle caps KWT
Napoli litter Steve Trewhella
Fishing net Amy Bugg
More plastic bottles Alison Conway
Tangle of balloon ribbons Alterra/van
Franeker
More plastic waste Steve Trewhella
Tangle of latex balloons Gill Bell/MCS
Cigarette butt Peter Richardson/MCS
Wooden pallet Alison Conway/MCS
Polystyrene food packaging Gill Bell/MCS
42
Dead albatross Rebecca Hosking/BBC
44
Plastic bottlecap David Barnes
Scallop with limpets Jean-Luc Solandt/MCS
Plastic litter Fran Crowe
51/2
CLOCKWISE
Entangled sea fans Steve Trewhella
Fundraising event MCS
MCS Cool Seas Roadshow Angus
Bloomfield/MCS
Modbury T shirt Rebecca Hosking
Fran collecting litter Fran Crowe
Beachwatch volunteers Andy Clark
Windbreaks, Ellie with crab, Daisy and starfish
Sue Ranger/MCS
Claudia jumping Richard Harrington/MCS
Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies
of Coastal Oceans (2008) The science of
marine reserves. www.piscoweb.org
14
United Nations Environment Programme.
Regional Seas. http://www.unep.org/
regionalseas/marinelitter/
15
ICES (2007) Species advice for cod in
Subarea IV (North Sea), Division VIId (Eastern
Channel), and Division IIIa (Skagerrak)
United Nations Environment Programme
(2007) Global Environment Outlook GEO 4
Environment for Development. http://www.
unep.org/geo/geo4/media/
16
Covey, R. & Laffoley D. d’A (2002) Maritime
State of Nature Report for England: getting
on to an even keel. Peterborough, English
Nature
Environment Agency (2007) Working for
a better marine environment. Our marine
strategy progress report May 2007. http://
www.environment-agency.gov.uk
17
United Nations (2006) Ecosystems and
Biodiversity in Deep Waters and High Seas.
18
Marine Conservation Society (2008)
Beachwatch Summary Report.
19
Laist DW (1997) Impacts of Marine Debris.
In Marine Debris: Sources, impacts and
solutions. Edited by JM Coe and DB Rogers
20
Van Franeker JA and Meijboom A (2003)
Litter NSV, Marine litter monitoring by
Northern Fulmars, a pilot study. Alterra
report 401
21
Van Franeker JA et al (2005) Save the North
Sea Fulmar study 2002-2004 a regional pilot
project for the Fulmar litter EcoQO in the
OSPAR area. Alterra report 1162
22
Moore CJ, Moore SL, Leecaster MK and
Weisberg SB (2001) A comparision of plastic
and plankton in the North Pacific Central
Gyre. Marine Pollution Bulletin 42(12):
pp1297-1300
Defra (2008) UK Biodiversity Indicators:
sustainable fisheries. Unpublished data.
3
Engelhard GH (2008) One hundred and
twenty years of change in fishing power
of English North Sea trawlers. In Payne
A, Cotter J, Potter T (eds) Advances in
Fisheries Science 50 years after Beverton and
Holt. Blackwell Publishing
4
5
8
9
MCS Divers March on Parliament Tim
Fanshawe
Supermarket fish counter K.Stall
Red and grey mullet Peter Richardson/MCS
Newspaper advertising Marks & Spencer
Fisher landing scallops Bryce BeukersStewart
Fishmonger and Scallop K. Stall
Marine Reserves Now campaign photo’s
Courtesy of MCS supporters
13
2
7
53/4
Lynam, C.P., Gibbons, M.J., Axelsen, B.E.,
Sparks, C.A.J., Coetzee, J., Heywood, B.G.
and Brierley, A.S. (2006). Jellyfish overtake
fish in a heavily fished ecosystem. Current
Biology, 16: R492-R493
Clover, Charles (2004) The End of the Line.
Ebury Press
6
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1
Law R (2000) Fishing, selection and
phenotypic evolution. ICES Journal of Marine
Science 57 p659-668
Royal Commission on Environmental
Pollution (2004) Turning the Tide.
Addressing the Impact of Fisheries on the
Marine Environment
Duplisea DE, Jennings S, Malcolm SJ,
Parker R, and Sivyer DB (2001) Modelling
potential impacts of bottom trawl fisheries
on soft sediment biogeochemistry in the
North Sea. Geochemical Transactions 14
pp1-6
Groot SJ and Lindeboom (1994)
Environmental Impact of Bottom Gears
on Benthic fauna in relation to natural
resources management and protection of the
north sea. Netherlands institute for fisheries
research NIOZ Ijmuiden, The Netherlands.
10
Food and Agriculture Organisation (2006)
The state of world fisheries and aquaculture
11
Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine
(1990) Last Chance to See. Pan Books 224pp
60