Coastal/Marine Litter

Beach Survey Transects & Clean-Ups

One does not have to search far within the Grenadines to discover the presence of marine debris, originating both from the area as well as more distant sources. Items that wash ashore can become stranded on the beaches, trapped in the mangroves or entangled in the reefs. Despite an ongoing participation in the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC), there continues to be a high abundance of hazardous materials, prompting the need for enhanced and creative strategies to address the issue. 

This issue is by no means, unique to the Grenadines. Marine debris encompasses any materials that have been anthropogenically manufactured that enter the marine environment, either by disposal or abandonment, a category in which plastics predominate. Plastics of all shapes and sizes are transported by wind and currents, and occur throughout the water column. Given the durability and buoyant properties of plastics, they have been increasingly seen in the open ocean and on remote islands. Worldwide evidence has shown that over 260 marine wildlife species are adversely affected by marine debris. Fish and wildlife interactions with marine debris can result in injury and death through entanglement, ingestion and toxicological effects. 

In 2021, we conducted beach survey transects at offshore islands in the Grenadines to document the type and abundance of marine litter arriving at remote shores. The results of this project will be fed into the Grenada National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA). We would like to thank SPAW-RAC for providing funding for this project and for Ocean Spirits for their continued collaboration! 

Marine Litter Surveys by Drone

In 2021, drone transects along beaches at offshore islands were conducted to find accumulations of marine litter. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, proved useful in locating accumulations at sites that proved difficult to access by foot, and contributed to knowledge of the susceptibility of leeward vs windward exposed beaches. The information collected via aerial surveying will be classified by type and will further enhance our knowledge of the materials that threaten to harm local biodiversity, for example, through entanglement and ingestion. These activities were conducted outside of the main seabird / bird breeding season, disturbance to wildlife will be minimal to non-existent. We thank SPAW-RAC for co-funding this project and Ocean Spirits (Grenada) for their ongoing collaboration and support.