During the study, led by the EOMAR group of the University Institute ECOAQUA, 3,667 objects weighing 321 kilograms were removed, excluding wooden objects. Of these, 97.7% were plastics, with PET beverage bottles being the most abundant
The analysis has revealed that sea currents determine the arrival of a large quantity of debris to the archipelago from maritime traffic in the Atlantic
Researchers from the Ecophysiology of Marine Organisms (EOMAR) group of the University Institute of Aquaculture and Sustainable Marine Ecosystems (ECOAQUA) of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Alicia Herrera, Ico Martínez and May Gómez, collaborate in the article entitled "First inventory of marine debris on Alegranza, an uninhabited island in the Northeast Atlantic", published in the prestigious scientific journal Marine Pollution Bulletin; together with Alexis Rivera from WWF Spain and Teresa Moreno from the Instituto de Formación Profesional Marítimo Pesquero de Canarias.
The article compiles the research carried out in six expeditions to the island of Alegranza. These campaigns were carried out between July and October 2020 thanks to the collaboration of WWF and the Asociación para la Conservación Medioambiental Latitud Azul, and the authorizations granted by the Cabildo de Lanzarote and the Ayuntamiento de Teguise (Lanzarote), with the aim of collecting and classifying the marine litter that arrives as a result of the currents.
Alegranza is the northernmost island of the Canary archipelago, and therefore, the first obstacle to be encountered by the Canary Current, which deposits all the debris on the north-east facing coast. Moreover, being an uninhabited island, all the waste comes from the sea, which makes it a privileged observatory for studying marine debris.
One of the most alarming of all data obtained was the enormous quantity of PET plastic bottles, generally used for water or soft drinks, of which a total of 960 bottles were removed from just 100 metres of coastline, representing almost a quarter of the plastics collected. In Spain, some 9 million water bottles are used every day, a large proportion of which end up in landfills and many are washed into the sea by the wind or through rivers.
On the marine debris collected, the most abundant were objects of everyday use and plastic fragments of unknown origin. However, fishing activity and maritime traffic were an important source of marine debris (20.2%). Although it is difficult to know the origin, source and route of input of the marine debris, the legible labels on the containers provided valuable information. Although it is difficult to know the origin, source and route of input of the marine debris, the legible labels on the containers provided valuable information. In Alegranza, almost 67% of the legible bottles labels indicated Asian countries as the place of manufacture, which is evidence that they come from maritime traffic in the region, as it would be impossible for them to have arrived from these countries dragged by the current.
Another important source of information was provided by the licence labels of lobster trap tags used on the east coast of the United States and Canada, which were collected both on Alegranza and on other islands thanks to citizen collaboration within the MICROTROFIC project. These labels were dated between 1999 and 2018, which is evidence that they have travelled a long way from North America and have been floating in the ocean for many years.
One of the most devastating effects of plastic pollution is the damage it causes to marine ecosystems and organisms. Abandoned or lost fishing nets, known as “ghost nets”, continue to drift, damaging and even killing several animals, including birds. Among the fishing waste found in this study, the large amount of ropes, remains of nets and buoys that pose a threat to birds stands out. This is of particular concern in Alegranza, which is home to protected species such as the osprey (Pandion haliaetus), the storm petrel (Pelagodroma marina), the Cory's shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) and Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae).
The information obtained in this study can serve as a basis for identifying the possible sources of marine debris and the objects that most pollute the seas and which should therefore be regulated by environmental laws and policies, both at global, Spanish and European level.
The article can be downloaded free of charge at the following link.
For more information, contact: Beatriz Díaz beatriz@mandarinacomunicacion.es / 620410871