Found everywhere, around the world, in the marine and coastal environment, marine litter has a truly global distribution and is a truly global marine and coastal problem.

Marine litter is found floating on the water surface, in the water cloumn and on the ocean floor. Sewage and waste from coastal towns and ships add to the muck in the world’s oceans.

It is estimated that there is over 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating on every square mile of ocean today.

As much as 8 million items of marine litter has been estimated to enter oceans and seas every day, about 5 million of which (solid waste) thrown overboard or lost from ships.

In a 1998 survey, 89 per cent of the litter observed floating in the North Pacific Ocean was plastic.

About 100,000 marine mammals — of which some 30,000 seals — and turtles are killed by plastic marine litter every year, around the world.

Of the 115 species of marine mammals, 49 species are known to become entangled in and/or ingest marine litter.

Especially seals, sea lions and dolphins are curious by nature. They like to investigate new and unusual objects around them, like packing straps and net fragments. And in many, many cases that curiosity will get them killed.