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Marine Life & Conservation

BSAC urges all divers to help turn the plastic tide

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As a diver, it sometimes seems there’s no getting away from plastic. Many components of our kit are plastic-based and essential to the job at hand, but we are also acutely aware of the impact plastic pollution – especially single-use plastic – is having on the marine environment.

According to the Marine Conservation Society, some areas of our ocean contains six times more microplastics than plankton.  This is a frightening statistic but together we can turn the tide on the amount of plastic debris reaching our seas.

A DIVER’S GUIDE TO PLASTIC

Here are just a few simple ways as a diver you can help ‘sink’ the problem of single-use plastic….

On dive trips take only essential multi-use plastic (ie, your kit!) on to your RIB, hardboat or shore dive.

 When it comes to single-use plastic on dive trips, adopt the ‘DIY, swap or ditch’ approach:

  • Take a packed lunch in re-usable or recyclable packaging and swap that on-the-go latte for your own reusable coffee mug or flask.
  • Keep hydrated with a reusable water bottle –ask the skipper if they provide water refills and try to avoid disposable plastic water bottles wherever you can. If it’s not possible, check the bottle before you buy to ensure it can be easily recycled…. but do try to re-use it for as long as you can.
  • Try to avoid carton drinks and ditch the plastic straw altogether.

Don’t forget the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ mantra when it comes to your kit.

Every diver’s kit suffers from wear and tear and running repairs and replacements are the norm on any dive trip. Maintaining your equipment, repairing kit and recycling what you can will ensure that you still get your dive while helping to protect the environment.

  • Look after your kit to prolong its shelf life. Kit maintenance is an essential part of every diver’s routine but don’t forget to pay attention to the perishable and throwaway parts such as neck and wrist seals, mask straps, fins straps, mouth pieces etc. Rinse them properly with fresh water after each use, keep lubricated (when needed) and dry (when storing) as well as out of direct sunlight and you should get plenty of good use out of them.
  • Cable ties, o-rings, broken fin straps and on-board diver plastic waste can find their way into the sea – dispose of responsibly and check the deck before you leave the dive boat for any stragglers that may have been dropped (it doesn’t take much for them to be washed overboard).
  • When the time eventually comes to replace, make sure you dispose of unfixable or no longer usable items or kit parts carefully. If you are upgrading and your old kit is still perfectly usable, pass it on – donate to your club or to new members who are looking to get going with their kit.

Working together as a club, pledge to reduce your collective use of single-use plastic, both on trips and socials.

  • Simple changes such as switching to reusable water bottles, collectively ditching items such as plastic straws and recycling plastic water bottles and single-use plastics at the end of every dive trip can really add up.
  • Add a ‘diving with a purpose’ twist to your dive plans – organise an underwater litterpick on a favourite dive site, plan a dive to retrieve discarded fishing gear from a wreck or encourage all members to ‘marine clean’ on every dive.
  • Make the most of your diving ‘down time’ to clean up! Keep a look out on your surface interval and scoop up any surface litter you may see or get the whole club, family and friends active in a topside beach clean.
  • For further guidance, check out our BSAC Marine Clean online resources, which includes information on how to organise an underwater litterpick and essential advice on lifting licence requirements and risk assessments.

Away from the water, wherever possible cut down single-use plastic in your everyday.

 Just a few simple tweaks and you will be surprised how you can make a positive change.

  • Shop local – if you can get your new kit items from your local dive shop, you can also cut down on unnecessary packaging and waste.
  • Plastic bags – just say no! Save your 5p every time you reuse one of your own bags and see how much you have at the end of the year.
  • Get creative – look for alternatives to packaging, cleaning materials, toiletries etc. For some great ideas on alternatives to single-use plastics, check out the Marine Conservation Society’s easy to use Living without Plastic
  • Support marine environment charities by buying their plastic free products – Surfers Against Sewage, Bite-Back and the Marine Conservation Society to name just a few have some great ideas.

Join in the BSAC Marine Clean – collect, capture and upload your Marine Clean 2018 pictures and success stories.

From a photo of the litter you collect, to a pic of your Underwater Litterpick or Beach Clean team in action, share your Marine Clean efforts on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #bsacmarineclean OR enter your Marine Clean photos using this form www.bsac.com/entermarineclean to show your support and be entered into the prize draw.

If you’re not a BSAC member you can still enter but please use the form so BSAC can contact you if you win.

You’ll be in with a chance of winning an Apeks Regulator worth over £500! The winner will be selected at random after the 30th September 2018. View Marine Clean 2018 entries at  www.bsac.com/bsacmarinecleanpictures

Marine Life & Conservation

New report shows simple measures needed to cut beach plastic pollution

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The Marine Conservation Society has launched its annual State of our Beaches 2023 report, highlighting the need for less single-use plastic items and more refillable options.

The charity’s beach cleaning programme, now in its 30th year, asks volunteers to record all litter that they find within a 100-metre stretch of beach. By gathering vital data from across the UK and Channel Islands, the charity creates change for cleaner seas and a healthier planet through policy and industry change. Last year, over 148 kilometres of beach were surveyed by volunteers, who removed 17,208kgs of litter from our coast.

Using data collected by over 14,000 volunteers, the State of our Beaches 2023 report shows that half of all litter collected came from public sources – either dumped, blown or washed onto our beaches.

Drinks-related litter, such as plastic bottles, caps and cans were one of the most found items, with an average of 16 found per 100 metres of beach surveyed. This figure is up 14% compared to the charity’s 2022 report.

Plastics caps and lids were recorded on 89% of surveys, with over 30,000 found in total. Plastic bottles were also commonly collected, with 73% of surveys finding this single-use item – a 4% increase compared to 2022. The charity’s inland litter pick survey, Source to Sea, also reported finding plastic bottles on 92% of cleans.

However, the charity’s State of Our Beaches 2023 report also indicates that some types of litter are on a downward trend. Although still in the top 10 litter items, disposable plastic cutlery, trays and straws were found on 5% fewer beaches across the UK, showing that bans on these plastic items between 2022 – 2023 could be working. The presence of plastic cotton bud sticks also dropped by 14%.

Lizzie Price, Beachwatch Manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said, “Half of the litter found on our beaches originates from public sources, underscoring the pressing issue of single-use plastic. Evidence shows that refillable alternatives and litter return schemes effectively reduce rubbish, as demonstrated by the decline our data has shown in items like plastic bags and disposable cutlery.

“Urgent and decisive action from UK governments is needed to accelerate our shift towards a circular economy, where we reuse, repair and recycle. The public needs greater access to refillable products and systems need to be implemented in which manufacturers are responsible for their waste.”

Governments across the UK have committed to delivering deposit return schemes from October 2025. However, the proposed scheme in England does not include glass items, despite glass being found on 52% of beaches in 2023. The charity is calling for governments across the UK to introduce compatible all inclusive deposit return schemes as soon as possible. This would see aluminium cans, and plastic and glass bottles have a 20p deposit which would be returned when recycled which would reduce drinks-related pollution.

Businesses are, however, starting to take refillable and reusable options into their own hands. Supermarket chain, Aldi, the largest corporate funder of the charity’s 2024 Beachwatch programme, is already leading the charge in refillable items by trialling refillable options for cereals and porridge oats in their stores over the past 5 months.

Plastics and Packaging Director, Luke Emery, from Aldi, who are running 4 beach cleans for staff and volunteers in 2024, said, We are continually working to reduce single-use plastics and packaging, and making unpackaged product options more commonplace for our customers is a key part of this. We are really pleased with the uptake of our refillable range so far by customers. Not only are we making sustainable shopping more accessible, but we also offer refill products for a better price than the packaged alternative, helping our customers save money.”

Marine litter is one of the biggest threats to our seas, with plastic breaking down over time into microplastics and threatening marine life which can ingest or become entangled in them. The Marine Conservation Society is urging the UK Government to move faster on its policies to cut down plastic waste and prevent items from reaching our seas.

To find out more about the charity’s beach cleans and how to get involved, please visit mcsuk.org/beach-cleans

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Guarding Against Coral Invaders

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Protecting (Dutch) Caribbean Reefs from Unomia stolonifera

Recent reports highlight the concerning spread of the invasive soft coral, Unomia stolonifera, currently devastating Venezuela’s marine ecosystems and detected in Cuba. With the potential threat of its expansion to the (Dutch) Caribbean islands, urgent action and awareness are essential to safeguard marine biodiversity and local economies from possible catastrophic consequences.

Invasive species are animals or plants from another region of the world that don’t belong in their new environment. These species can have major ecological effects by decimating native flora or fauna. They can also cause large economic losses and impact human health. Invasive species also pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems worldwide, including the Dutch Caribbean. Among these invaders is the octocoral species Unomia stolonifera or “Pulsing Xenia”, originally from the Indo-Pacific. With its rapid growth and lack of natural predators, this species can outcompete native species and disrupt fragile marine habitats such as seagrass beds and coral reefs.

Background

The invasive soft coral U. stolonifera was first identified in 2014, off the coast of Venezuela. It is believed to have been introduced via the illegal aquarium trade.  Since this species can reproduce sexually and asexually (or fragment), even small pieces can regenerate to spread.  Once introduced it quickly took over shallow reefs and hard substrate at depths of 0-50 meters, outcompeting local corals and seagrass for space.  Follow on surveys found that this coral species exhibited average percentage cover as high as 80%, vastly outcompeting native corals. In highly colonized areas, fish are disappearing due to loss of habitats.

In 2022, during a survey conducted in Cuba by the University of Havana, an unknown octocoral was discovered which was later identified as the invasive Unomia stolonifera. It is suspected that the coral larvae arrived in ballast water from fossil fuel ships originating from Venezuela, as nearby sites adjacent to Venezuelan ports have been heavily affected by the invasion.

How to help

Prevention through continuous monitoring, particularly in high-risk areas such as marine harbors and oil facilities, is paramount. Early detection plays a pivotal role in mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera.

The public’s involvement and awareness are also vital. Local communities, recreational divers, tourists, and all stakeholders are urged to participate in early detection efforts by reporting sightings (photo, location and date) of this invasive coral to their respective Protected Area Management Organization (PMO’s)- the Fundacion Parke Nacional Aruba (FPNA)STINAPA BonaireCARMABI Curaçao Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF)Nature Foundation St. Maarten (NFSXM) and St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA). If an invaded area is confirmed, follow the recommendations by the local PMO’s.

Keys to Success

Despite the challenges, early detection is key to mitigating the threat posed by Unomia stolonifera. With continued vigilance, research, and community engagement, there is hope for containing this potential issue before it becomes a major threat.

About the DCNA

The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) supports (science) communication and outreach in the Dutch Caribbean region by making nature related (scientific) information more widely available through amongst others the Dutch Caribbean Biodiversity Database, DCNA’s news platform BioNews and through the press. This article contains the results from several scientific studies but the studies themselves are not DCNA studies. No rights can be derived from the content. DCNA is not liable for the content and the in(direct) impacts resulting from publishing this article.

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