Novel methods, new results and science-based solutions to tackle marine debris impacts on wildlife

Abstract

There is an exponentially increasing amount of human-associated litter in our oceans. This marine litter results in a wide range of potential impacts on the environment. These range from the introduction of adsorbed polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into food webs to the entanglement and subsequent mortality of threatened seabirds, fish, turtles and mammals in anthropogenic litter and derelict fishing gear. While there has been a major effort afoot to publicize these issues, there remains a paucity of data and scientific research to underpin solutions to the problems. To address knowledge gaps and to identify potential solutions, we assembled thirteen experts from around the world who are leaders in the field. Speakers present current research in three major areas: 1) integrated ecological and oceanographic models to that measure risk to wildlife and predict impact, 2) literature reviews and field studies that measure both the scope and intensity of the threat across species, and 3) analysis of wildlife indicators as regulatory standards for plastic concentration in the environment.