50 trillion
pieces of plastic are in the oceans..which are continually breaking into more pieces.
80%
of marine debris enters from land
8-12 million
tons of debris are dumped into the oceans each year
> 1000
shipping containers are lost at sea each year
4 billion
plastic microfibers are found per square kilometer of ocean water
Marine Debris Removal
Ever since the devastating tsunami in 2011, in Japan, Sitka Wildlife Adventures has worked closely with Sitka Sound Science Center and local volunteers to clean local wilderness beaches. This is a monumental task… Sections of coastline that are more exposed to winds and seas tend to accumulate more debris and tend to re-accumulate debris at faster rates. Of course, highly exposed coastline is much more difficult to access than lee-shores and calm inlets! The work of removing debris is challenging, very physical and can be dangerous. We do the best we can with the time, rare favorable conditions and limited funding that we manage to glean. It’s a very tough job but oh so essential.
By some accounts there will be more plastic than fish, in the seas, by 2050.
Humans really have to change their behavior!
If you would like to help with financial support, in this gigantic effort, , please contact the dedicated folks at Sitka Sound Science Center. Or get in touch with us and we’ll help point you in the right direction.
