More from Sandy Island...

Led by Vanessa Hall, she and her cousins went out to Sandy island and deliver this neat video witness of their time.

Clearly from earlier report here and what the video shows that we need to have a concerted and focused effort on this area. Folks interested in taking part in some way of manpower or appropriate vessels to make an effective job of it,please drop me a line via the comments section.

Big thanks to Vanessa for this great vid.

The Sunday report...

Is it so obvious that I do not have a camera , as I have nicked a few around the internet. Soooo, frustrating ! Anyway, work with what we have!

Thankfully my good friend Steve Moore joined us on the beach yesterday with both video and stills cameras, so we are going to put some short movies together to raise the awareness of this issue.

Getting home yesterday, I took a nap with the intent of going out later, wrong...woke up at about one thirty in the morning with two hungry dogs looking at me ! OK, now I've got all the sleep I need, updated blog and decided to be at the beach as the light broke. That is why I was reminded of the need for a camera.

Loading my pockets with plastic shopping bags, the ones I hate at the store and vowing to get some canvas or similar made, I made my way down to the beach of Halfmoon Bay and collected about six bags FULL, bags doubled hence stuffed pockets. Now I know that does not sound like a lot but consider that they were all small pieces, from thumb size to fist size to pea size and of course the odd intact beverage or oil bottle, some with caps some without.

Venturing down to Farley Bay, so a nice hike from the back of Old Road. Wow was there a ton of stuff down there, so prioritizing I set about taking a walk down the beach and picking up plastic bottles various and other manageable bits and left with a ruck sack full. Love the big shiney stones and pebbles here, not much sand, bit seasonal, though with mining holes are a dead give away that some has been illegally removed.

These scalloped water holes are a result of illegal sand mining

So tomorrow, Monday, I am going to go round the designated beaches, to ensure all has been collected for proper disposal, just in case some participants unknowingly missed the collections.

One neat thing, is the nice feeling of satisfaction that there is a useful thing to do with the dreaded plastic shopping bags. Perfect in size, slip in the pocket practically unnoticed about six make up one "sack size". Walk up the beach, fill them,leave when full and once you have filled your last one and start making a return to your starting point and pick them up along the way and hey presto, in the car they go !

Why are we doing this ?

Well this is a great question that I hope most have been able to answer with the info on this site.

As the world has become the modern place we live the materials we use for a variety of tasks has changed and indeed new tasks and materials have also developed. Much of this material is one form or another of plastic which is derived from petroleum (oil), consequently they take considerable time for the breakdown of all the material back to "nothing".

While they break down the materials break into smaller pieces, which wildlife mistake for food, which has no nutritional value, but perversely act as a poison that takes various time frames to cut life short. The end result is death via starvation, drowning, contamination and lack of reproductive ability to name but a few results. Or like this bird, marine mammals, fish get trapped in the old ghost nets and six pack holders.
20% of marine debris originates on land, which means that it has drifted far afield landing on our shores, making an eyesore, but more importantly contaminating our ecostystem, with a variety of toxic chemical compounds as it breaks down, which may take hundreds of years. So it follows the trash we leave on the beach that disappears is likely causing the same problems on a shoreline over the horizon, disturbing some one else.

This is one example of many of what is referred to as trans boundry pollution. The same principles apply to materials in their gaseous and liquid forms.

As you begin to think the seemingly innocent plastic wrapper thrown on the ground that is picked up by the wind and blown to a variety of places until it gets stuck some where, could be in a tree or the throat of an endangered Hawksbill turtle. If of course not got by a net, poacher or run over by a boat.
So in short we are doing this in order to assist reduce the impact on the life forms that provide a vital part of the ecosystem, that provide us with fresh air and food to sustain our healthy life.

Alphabet Soup

Anonymous sent me a link,which was unfortunately with a little sleuthing I reckon this was what he was pointing to...really good. Succinct and to the point.

The Pacific Gyre, go with the research team, who have been following this phenomenon in the Pacific.

Worth the watch.

Thanks Anonymous