Businesses
Debris Impact on the Maritime Industry
Marine debris, including active or lost fishing gear, is a constant fact of life for the marine operators.
Every year, streamers, propellers, thrusters, and other equipment are lost or damaged due to
encounters with marine debris. In addition, marine life, such as turtles, birds, mammals, and fish, may
also be encountered in the debris. Marine debris and animal entanglement are also international
environmental issues in which EnerGeo Alliance members have played an essential role – but we need
more to do the same. By removing and disposing of debris encountered during your operations,
installing turtle guards, carrying out watches for marine mammals, employing preventative protective
measures, and reporting these activities, crews can work daily to clean up our marine environment.
Report Your Data
We are asking maritime crews to take photographs when encountering and freeing entangled wildlife and/or collecting and delivering marine debris to the dock at the end of a rotation at sea for inclusion in our growing archive of data on marine debris.
Share Your Story and Your Photos
Did you take photographs when encountering and freeing entangled wildlife? Share your photos and any other information with Sustainable Seas Initiative and EnerGeo Alliance to be included in our growing data archive on marine debris.
To date, the EnerGeo Alliance membership has reported removing 2,497,000 pounds of debris since the initiative began in 2016. That’s enough debris to fill London’s Wembley Stadium soccer field more than 30 times or nearly 82 40-foot shipping containers.
