2014 Top 10 Marine Debris Ranking: The Staggering Amount of Plastic Fragments Endangers Seafood Consumption

On November 20, 2014, the Society of Wilderness held a press conference and ocean lecture at the Taipei NGO House, announcing this year's international beach cleanup results and Taiwan, China's first "microplastic density survey." This year's latest top ten marine debris rankings, in order, were: plastic fragments, styrofoam fragments, paper bags and plastic bags, glass beverage bottles, straws, stirrers and wrappers, bottle caps, disposable tableware, cigarette butts, clothing, shoes and gloves, and plastic beverage bottles. Among these, plastic products accounted for as much as 88.8%. Based on marine debris monitoring data, it is possible to analyze the industrial structure and residents' living habits of each city in Taiwan, China, and to show that each county and city faces different problems.

The beach cleanup removed large debris, but the Society of Wilderness carried out its first microplastic density survey this year and found that after the cleanup, there were still as many as about 800 tiny plastic fragments per square meter of beach, showing that simply picking up waste at the end of the chain cannot stop the all-out invasion of plastic waste. Beaches and oceans polluted by plastic not only severely harm the tourism industry, tourist safety and ship navigation, but also absorb toxic substances and then enter the food chain, causing seabirds, mammals and fish to ingest them by mistake and threatening the seafood delicacies that people love.