Reef Clean 2019: A year of Cooperation, Collaboration and a Load of Rubbish

Over 24 tonnes of debris were removed from the beaches of the Great Barrier Reef through the ReefClean project during 2019, but this is only the tip of the plastic-fighting iceberg.

As we look back nostalgically on 2019, the year before any of us had heard of COVID 19 or social distancing, we remember those socially close days with volunteers patrolling our beaches to tackle marine debris. However, picking up rubbish will only ever be one part of reducing the impact of plastics in the ocean.

Today Tangaroa Blue Foundation is launching the report for the first full year of the ReefClean Project. The 5-year project brings together groups and individuals from along the length of the Great Barrier Reef to not only remove marine debris but also to prevent more debris entering the sea and impacting the iconic reef. Read more “Reef Clean 2019: A year of Cooperation, Collaboration and a Load of Rubbish”

ReefClean finds a meteorological buoy

In Far North Queensland, we are no longer surprised by the large loads of marine debris carried in by the Australian Eastern Current.  But every now and then, something special washes up that we can get excited about.

Last year on the 17^th of November, Tangaroa Blue, as part of the ReefClean project took 14 volunteers out to Snapper Island off Port Douglas, QLD for the annual clean-up that’s been running since 2009.  At the end of the day, as the team sorted and recorded marine debris items for the 16-year-old Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database, they came across a meteorological buoy that traveled over 40 months from New Zealand to arrive on the shores of Snapper Island. Through details listed on the buoy, such as the Canadian manufacturing company and IMEI number, we were able to track it back to its source and learn more about its voyage. Read more “ReefClean finds a meteorological buoy”

Fishing, Marine Debris and the Great Barrier Reef!

Marine debris and plastic pollution on the Great Barrier Reef are of significant concern to both commercial and recreational fishermen. In particular the impacts on marine life affect fishermen in diverse ways. Fish stocks are affected by large ghost nets and on a smaller but more diverse scale by discarded fishing line, lures, netting and other fishing items such as polystyrene floats. A major concern is microplastics and plastic fibres which adsorb toxins such as herbicides and pesticides in the water. These small plastics are eaten by fish or accumulated by filter feeders such as oysters and mussels and even enter the food chain when consumed with phytoplankton and zooplankton.

Read more “Fishing, Marine Debris and the Great Barrier Reef!”

Farmers: our Reef’s future is in your hands

Plasticulture (plastic in agriculture) in Australia uses an estimated 90,800 tonnes of plastics in agriculture each year but only 7% is recycled. Plastic is used in every kind of agriculture and horticulture around the world today. Some sources of plastic waste produced by farms include:

• plastic mulch film
• plastic wrap
• product containers
• planting containers
• bags
• twine
• crop tunnels
• irrigation
• netting

Read more “Farmers: our Reef’s future is in your hands”

March Monitoring events for ReefClean

This March the ReefClean project has Monitoring Clean-up events happening all across the Great Barrier Reef Region. These Monitoring events are delivered quarterly and include both coastal and estuary sites.

Monitoring Clean-ups are very different from normal community clean-ups in that it is a much more structured process, and site locations must meet more stringent requirements.  These events would appeal to those citizen scientist volunteers who appreciate a scientifically rigorous process. Read more “March Monitoring events for ReefClean”