Great Fundy Coastal Cleanup collects plenty of marine debris
More than 100 volunteers scoured the shoreline of the Bay of Fundy on Sunday in search of garbage.
The Great Fundy Coastal Cleanup, organized by the New Brunswick Nature Trust, brought volunteers to nine separate locations along the Fundy coast where they retrieved everything from abandoned boats to plastic toothpicks.
"We find a lot of plastic bottles, grocery bags, one-time-use food containers, a lot of plastic," said Richelle Martin, stewardship coordinator for the Nature Trust of New Brunswick.
"On the industrial side of things we're finding a lot of nets, a lot of ropes, and a lot of plastic associated with the marine industries."
Shredded nets, rusted bed frames, toys and tampons were just some of the items found on the beaches of Navy Island, a shoreline just across from the community of St. Andrews.
"One goal, I guess, is to clean up the debris that is on the shoreline as it poses a risk to migratory birds, to wildlife, to people that are here walking on the beach," Martin said.
"It also raises awareness of the marine debris issue – that is an international one - and gives people a chance to get involved in marine stewardship action."
On Saturday, scuba divers also participated in the cleanup, going under the waves near Grand Manan to retrieve as much man-made waste as they could.
Volunteers are not just collecting garbage, but categorizing it as well.
"They're working to collect all the data," said Bethany Young, engagement organizer with the Nature Trust. "And find out where this garbage is coming from and mitigate marine debris like this."
Young says the trash data will be forwarded to the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews where it will join a worldwide database for researching ocean pollution.
"It's a huge job," said Young. "But we've gotten a lot of help from lots of nonprofits, and industries as well to help make this happen."
Young said some volunteers were taken by boats owned by fishing company Conner Brothers to island locations, while some nets and ropes recovered by the cleanup will be recycled by local business like Cooke Aquaculture.
"Many different communities have come together to make this happen," said Young.
