Hidden within the West CoastB次元官网网址檚 popular sandy beaches are thousands of tiny pieces of plastic that are putting sealife, and humans, at risk.
B次元官网网址淧lastics never actually go away, they break down to smaller and smaller pieces,B次元官网网址� Ucluelet AquariumB次元官网网址檚 Brittany Buirs told the Westerly B次元官网网址 during a microplastics survey event at Cox Bay. B次元官网网址淢icroplastics in particular are affecting sea life and eventually making their way up the food chain and potentially affecting our health as humans.B次元官网网址�
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Microplastics are fragments smaller than five millimetres and the Ucluelet Aquarium has been documenting the type and amount of those fragments that are washing up on the West Coast through a citizen science survey project launched in 2017.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a citizen science project where anyone can come join to help learn about plastic pollution, how itB次元官网网址檚 affecting our coast, and help contribute to collecting scientific dataB次元官网网址tB次元官网网址檚 a great opportunity to get outside, help clean our local shores and learn about a really important topic,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淐itizen science is really important because it engages people in an important topic and they can feel like theyB次元官网网址檙e contributing to the health and well-being of the environment they live inB次元官网网址t also gets like-minded people together to bring ideas to their own communities, taking action and creating new leaders.B次元官网网址�
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The aquarium has been monitoring seven sites between Ucluelet and Tofino and invites residents and visitors to participate in the twice-a-month survey events to raise awareness while collecting valuable data.
B次元官网网址淢ost of our beaches are amazing and beautiful and when people come out and do this survey, they understand if you look a little closer and dig a little deeper you find small pieces of plastic,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hese small pieces are not necessarily litter from someone on the beach, but they could have been broken down over thousands of kilometres away and made their way to our shoreB次元官网网址icroplastics tell a global story that global effort is needed because the pollution we throw out here may affect a different part of the world and vice versa.B次元官网网址�
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Pat Sieber was one of the volunteer citizen scientists participating in the Cox Bay event and said sheB次元官网网址檇 like to see more people taking advantage of the opportunities to learn about their coastline while protecting it.
B次元官网网址淚 enjoy doing this. ItB次元官网网址檚 very interesting,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 passionate about the health of our oceans and IB次元官网网址檓 disturbed by the amount of plastics. The more real research and data we have, the more likely we are to get people to listen to us, I hope.B次元官网网址�
Volunteer survey events are hosted twice a month where volunteers collect the top two centimetres of sand along 100 metre transect line placed at the last high tide mark.
B次元官网网址淓very time we come out and survey, we are collecting B次元官网网址榝reshB次元官网网址� plastic that has recently come in from the ocean,B次元官网网址� Buirs said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not debris that has been sitting here, itB次元官网网址檚 fresh plastics that have just come in from the last high tide line.B次元官网网址�
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Volunteers focus on one-square-metre at a time, shaking sand through a sieve to collect microplastics, which are then documented.
B次元官网网址淭hat way, we can really try and figure out what the most recent ocean currents and plastic types are telling us about how we can change our habits,B次元官网网址� Buirs said. B次元官网网址淭he second part is being able to use this information to share with communities and people who lead and make change..Our actions in the long run will help protect the ocean and help protect our health as humans and help protect the marine life that we depend on.B次元官网网址�
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Anyone interested in supporting the survey as a sponsor or volunteer citizen scientist can contact marinedebris@uclueletaqarium.org.
B次元官网网址淥ur coastal community is quite small and it relies on the ocean and its continued healthy longevity because of our food security and local economy,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e want it to continue to thrive because we need it and plastic is threatening it.B次元官网网址�
Along with gathering data to share with governments, Buirs hopes drawing attention to the amount of plastics polluting local shores will motivate West Coast residents and visitors to reduce the amount of plastics they are using in their day-to-day lives.
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B次元官网网址淪tart with the toothbrush in your house or taking re-useable bags to the grocery store or a [reuseable] mug to the coffee shop,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hose are small steps that eventually trickle into new habits that stop plastic entering the ocean.B次元官网网址�
Anyone wanting to learn more about plastic alternatives is encouraged to check out a plastic display at the Ucluelet Aquarium.
