Earlier this month, our partners at the Ocean Conservancy released their 30th International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Report, recognizing the efforts of Project AWARE divers around the globe who have contributed marine debris data through Dive Against Debris™.

While the ICC Report typically focuses primarily on debris found on land, as a founding member of the Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas® Alliance, Project AWARE shares Dive Against Debris data to provide the underwater perspective of the global debris issue and help close the data gap.

Since Dive Against Debris launched back in 2011, Project AWARE has shared the data from over 500 Dive Against Debris surveys with the Ocean Conservancy, helping provide a more comprehensive view of marine debris globally. Data collected so far consistently shows that the majority of items removed and reported by citizen-scientists - scuba divers and beach goers - is plastic.

Project AWARE Program Specialist Hannah Pragnell-Raasch comments, “With 150 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic conservatively estimated to make its way into the ocean by 2025, it sadly comes as no surprise that plastic items are consistently the top items reported – accounting for almost 70% of all debris items reported to date. That’s really quite staggering and serves as a harsh reminder that we, the human population, really are choking our marine environment.”

Around the globe, scuba divers see first-hand the devastating effects of marine debris on underwater environments. From ghost nets caught on coral reefs to sea turtles entangled in plastic, we’ve seen it all. Dive Against Debris data highlighted in this OC report represents the outstanding efforts of 2,933 scuba divers removing almost 46,800 lbs (21,224 kgs) of marine debris from underwater environments and reported over 22  marine creatures either entangled or dead. The underwater perspective on the marine debris issue that scuba divers help shape through Dive Against Debris data is unique.

Though we’re making significant progress in local environments through grassroots Dive Against Debris surveys, we also understand that marine debris is a complex problem. Large-scale, policy level change is necessary to protect marine animals and ecosystems – we need to stop trash from entering the ocean in the first place. This means redesigning our economy so that waste is minimized, disrupting waste sources, and redirecting the flow of litter so that debris is eliminated, recycled or responsibly disposed.

That’s why Project AWARE works with partners to inspire a groundswell of support for change. We’re committed to developing solutions alongside individuals, governments, NGOs and businesses.

Through partnerships and strategic alliances, Project AWARE is committed to working toward long-term, meaningful solutions to the marine debris issue at local, national and international levels.

Learn more about how we’re taking action against debris through our Partnerships Against Trash, or start your own Dive Against Debris today!

2015 Ocean Trash Index