Types and sources of marine debris in Fog Bay, Northern Australia

Marine debris items were collected and categorized during surveys of beaches in Fog Bay, northern Australia in 1996 and 1997. Synthetic items (45%) were the most numerous followed by metal (35%) and glass (16%). Drink containers contributed 53% of the total items, while fishing gear and foreign material contributed only 4% and 3%, respectively. Scores were given to each possible source of marine debris according to their likelihood of contributing to each group of debris items. Using this method, commercial fishing, merchant shipping and recreational boaters were likely to contribute to over 85% of all debris items. Composition of debris items varied between beach orientation within the same year and within beach orientation between years, which suggests that a number of beaches and locations should be sampled to obtain an unbiased estimate of marine debris for annual comparisons.