Anthropogenic debris are classified as all debris found in areas of ocean and marine environments that are human generated and unnatural in nature. Anthropogenic debris include materials such as variations of plastic, ghost gear, derelict vessels and accompanying debris. A striking threat to vast oceanic and terrestrial ecosystems, anthropogenic debris has been seen to directly impact our ocean health in a great number of ways. Some impacts include: entanglement of ocean species, toxic material ingestion, habitat contamination, and more. These pending factors must be addressed for the future health and sustainability of our mother earth.

Of the various anthropogenic debris impacting ecosystems and accompanying species, plastic is among the largest and most worrisome category. More specifically, single use plastic, which accounts for a monumental amount of plastic pollution and is possibly the number one most impactful anthropologic debris on our planet. 

Plastic, if not dumped directly into waterways, transitions from land to sea in varying ways, such as through storms. Trash is carried to sea by streams and major rivers which act as large-scale conveyor belts; accumulating trash as they move downstream. Once at sea, much of the plastic trash remains in coastal waters. When washed up into the coast, plastics impact shoreline species that use this terrain for food and shelter. In open waters, plastic slowly breaks down into what we know as micro-plastics. Micro-plastics are an extremely dangerous and critical threat to ecosystems and species health.

Micro-plastics pose a real concern to coastal restoration initiatives due to the extreme difficulty of removal and cleanup. Moreover, micro-plastics are often mistaken as food and ingested by coastal birds, fish, sea lions and other marine species. Plastic ingestion fills its’ hosts stomach with plastic, creating stomach blockages and punctures which often lead to the hosts’ demise. As micro-plastics continue to break down, it allows smaller species, such as zooplankton, to not only ingest the plastic, but introduce the plastic into the food chain at a much earlier stage. We can now see micro-plastics in noticeable quantities within specific foods consumed by humans.

Ghost gear is yet another troubling form of anthropogenic debris. Ghost gear, in a general sense, comprises of fishing and trapping gear either lost, abandoned, or discarded at sea. Examples range from aquaculture farming equipment, rope, traps, netting, floats, cages and more. This equipment endangers marine life, both trapping and entangling terrestrial and oceanic organisms passing through. Tangled netting and rope often intertwine with the unlucky host, slowly piercing the skin and chocking the organism until its’ death. 

Derelict vessels are amongst the largest debris found within the coastal and ocean environment. Derelict vessels are abandoned ocean crafts left in the ocean to rot. Vessels become derelict due to factors such a becoming damaged beyond repair or beyond the ability to afford. Extreme weather, tidal patterns or poor anchorage may also bring about a vessels abandonment and demise. While vessels decay they shed materials and toxic chemicals into the ocean and accompanying ecosystems. Debris from these vessels may include various fishing gear if coming from a fishing boat, commercial materials if coming from a barge, and wood and metals off of the boat itself.

As human induced debris continue to dramatically harm our coastal areas and oceans, we must address our own methods of consumption and individual footprint. Our society as a whole is responsible for the amount of anthropogenic debris not only seen in controlled waste facilities, but seen littered throughout the natural environment.

Steps toward a sustainable resolution must involve improving our waste management systems, implementing stronger recycling programs, and educating our future generations on sustainability. Lastly, it is time to advocate for the elimination of single use plastics, shifting a focus towards more sustainable materials and methods of consumption.