Marine debris observed in the North Pacific during Oshoro-maru cruise in 2012

The distribution and abundance of marine debris were investigated by visual survey and a neuston net in the North Pacific and Bering Sea during the T/S Oshoro Maru cruise from June to August 2012. The observed debris included pieces of plastic, plastic and glass bottles, metallic objects, glass, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mitani, Yoko, Iwahara, Yuka, Otsuki, Mayuko, Nishizawa, Bungo, Mizuguchi, Daisuke, Haba, Shota, Sekiguchi, Keiko, Mizuno, Hirona, Sakurai, Yasunori
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 北海道大学大学院水産科学研究院
Subjects:
660
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2115/54878
Description
Summary:The distribution and abundance of marine debris were investigated by visual survey and a neuston net in the North Pacific and Bering Sea during the T/S Oshoro Maru cruise from June to August 2012. The observed debris included pieces of plastic, plastic and glass bottles, metallic objects, glass, and fishing gear. The concentrations of plastic sampled by a neuston net were higher in the Transition Zone than those in the Subarctic North Pacific and Bering Sea. The abundance and weight of these small plastic pieces collected by a neuston net did not significantly increase from 1980s. Long-term monitoring and information sharing are important in concert with related countries and organizations.