The goal of the Marine Debris Initiative is to reduce the amount of debris reaching the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the ocean by providing the community with opportunities to participate in debris prevention and debris removal. Through the Marine Debris Initiative we also strive to help the individual make the connection between their lifestyle choices and the collective community impacts of marine debris on our oceans.

Debris washes from the Pacific Ocean onto Kamilo Beach, a remote Hawaiian beach.

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Save Our Shores has a three pronged approach to taking action on marine debris:

• Debris removal programs are an important part of stopping litter from reaching the ocean.
• Education programs are the key to having an informed community who can make healthy ocean decisions.
• Debris prevention programs offer alternatives to the disposable lifestyle choices that at the root of the marine debris problem.

Volunteers show off their loot after a San Lorenzo River cleanup.

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Marine debris is one of the fastest growing problems facing our oceans today. Here are a few basic facts to get you started:

• Marine debris is found throughout the ocean; from coastal waters to the open ocean and from the ocean’s surface through the water column to the seafloor.
• Approximately 80% of marine debris comes from people and activities on land, while only 20% comes from ocean based activities. Our watersheds act as marine debris super highways transporting debris from inland communities to the ocean.
• Plastic materials makeup the majority of marine debris, comprising 90% of floating debris and more than 60% of all marine debris. Other common types of marine debris are cigarette butts, glass, metal, paper and fireworks.
• The North Pacific Gyre, an area of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Japan, is an accumulation zone for marine debris said to be at least twice the size of Texas. In this part of the ocean, studies have shown that plastic fragments outnumber zooplankton 6 to 1!
• Marine debris has been known to affect at least 267 species worldwide including sea turtles, birds and marine mammals. Animals can be injured or die from entanglement in and/or ingestion of marine debris.

For more information about marine debris check out our Marine Debris Issue page or download our Marine Debris Brochure.