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Beach litter on Middle Brother

Description: Many beaches in the Chagos Islands have very high densities of litter, particularly plastic and polystyrene. Some research on this shows their origin is Southeast Asia, although some probably originates from ships passing by. Sometimes accumulations of it may be seen well inland, perhaps as a result of a storm. It is unsightly, but more importantly perhaps it may impede turtles which haul out onto beaches for nesting. Netting and rings of plastic are particularly hazardous in that they trap marine animals. Fishing materials and bottles, plastic shoes and plastic crates are some of the most abundant litter material. Occasionally on these islands, groups of people go ashore to undertake periodic cleanup operations, but the amount of plastics dumped in the oceans of the world is increasing rapidly, and the problem is becoming increasingly severe generally.
Subject: shoreline stress
Contact: Anne Sheppard
Contact email: a.sheppard@hotmail.com
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