BSAC Underwater Litterpick 2012 summary report

Summary Report
Divers turning the tide on litter
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To everyone who took part in the BSAC Underwater Litterpick 2012!
Back in July BSAC launched its very first
coordinated Underwater Litterpick campaign.
Inspired by the work of the Marine Conservation
Society and their annual Beachwatch initiative, we
wanted to give our members the chance to take the
beach clean ethos underwater…and help to make a
difference in the fight against marine litter.
I am now delighted to be able to introduce our very
first BSAC Underwater Litterpick summary report
and to let you know that this is only the beginning!
Hundreds of BSAC divers and snorkellers took up
the BSAC Underwater Litterpick challenge and their
enthusiasm and ingenuity has been inspiring.
Despite the wet and windy weather that was
the summer of 2012, 98 Underwater Litterpicks
were successfully conducted and recorded. This
summary report now provides an overview of the
2012 campaign and introduces the results of all
this hard work.
The findings of the very first BSAC Underwater
Litterpick report are certainly interesting and, in
some cases, surprising but most importantly they
will contribute to the on-going battle to turn the tide
on marine pollution. The survey forms completed by
our divers will now go towards MCS’s research into
long-term solutions to tackling marine litter.
And, beyond that, the 2012 results will form the
foundation for future BSAC campaigns.
I look forward to welcoming even more BSAC
divers and snorkellers to the BSAC Underwater
Litterpick 2013!
Dr Clare Peddie,
BSAC Chair and marine biologist
Woking
Sno
rkel and
Sc
uba
Front cover photo: Kingston
University SAC’s winning image in
the BSAC Underwater Litterpick
Facebook photo competition:
Cleaning up the River Thames,
17th September 12.
The BSAC Underwater Litterpick 2012 - by numbers
In July 2012 BSAC launched its very first
organisation-wide Underwater Litterpick
campaign. The aim was to use the
knowledge, skills and enthusiasm of our
members to take the Marine Conservation
Society’s annual Beachwatch underwater….
and to clean up our favourite dive sites.
Here, as an introduction, is a short
‘numbers’ guide to the BSAC Underwater
Litterpick 2012:
69
358
98
dives conducted at
67 dive sites over a
three month period
BSAC clubs and
volunteers
149
885kg
Over
76
hours spent
cleaning
underwater
An estimated
6,295
metres of seabed surveyed
bags of rubbish retrieved
weighing a total of
A total of
4,618
individual
pieces of litter
collected
Cupar SAC
The Dives…
Based on the post-dive survey forms
received, the BSAC Underwater Litterpick
2012 saw 23 individual dives and 75 club
dives completed plus litterpick activity
conducted on on-going dives (details not
formally recorded).
Woking Snorke
l and Scuba
Dive depths ranged from 1 – 35m, with
the average depth of a BSAC Underwater
Litterpick 2012 dive coming in at 14.2m.
Approximately 11% of the recorded dives
were inland sites or contributories rather
than open water.
These sites were amongst the dirtiest
reported by the submitted survey reports.
Popular open water dives sites such as
the Scylla, The Ore Wreck (Littlehampton),
the Persier (Plymouth) and Little Harcar in
the Farnes, were reported as being
remarkably clean.
This is most likely due to tidal flow or offshore location but it could also be partly due
to diver behaviour – 100% of respondents in
our post-campaign survey said they will (or
already do) pick up marine litter they find on
every dive.
Oxford SAC
Chiltern Divers
Overview of dive sites cleaned:
The choice of dive sites cleaned as part of the Underwater Litterpick campaign was wide-ranging, with
sites suiting all levels of diving experience. The summer weather wasn’t always on our side, resulting
in a number of blown out dives but our members are a tenacious bunch and many used these days to
beach clean instead!
BAY/HARBOURS
included Talland Bay,
Kimmeridge, Exmouth Quay,
Scarborough sea defences
Our BSAC Underwater Litterpick 2012 dive sites included:
WRECKS
included the Scylla, the Elk,
Persier, Rose Hill, The Ore and
the Betsy Anna (Swanage)
LOCHS
Loch Horne, Loch Long
SCENIC
included Little Harcar
(Northumberland), Worthing Lumps
(Littlehampton), Kingmere Rocks
and Knacker Hole, Beadnell.
BEACHES
Tynemouth beach
Bexley SAC
B
Boreuhsahmeyw&ood
OVERSEAS
Othman’s Reef (Doha),
Little Palm Beach (China),
Abu Sauatir (Red Sea),
Xwejni Bay (Gozo)
PIERS
Swanage, Trefor
Pier, Twin Piers
(Loch Long),
Argyle Pier
Trefor Pier
INLAND SITES
included Canada Water (London), River Stour, Doncaster
Lakeside, Sheep Walk Lake (Chertsey), The Serpentine
(London), River Thames (next to Kingston Bridge)
Bermondsey SAC
The ‘Haul ‘
Canterbury Divers
With almost a ton of smaller items retrieved
and with one club – Kingston University –
filling two skips alone, the BSAC Underwater
Litterpick 2012 certainly lived up to its name!
Here’s a thought-provoking summary of the
Underwater Litterpick booty:
Bermondsey SAC
• A total of 4,618 individual pieces of litter
was collected and formally recorded
during the three months of the 2012
campaign (August to October)
Continued
on next
page…
• Our top offender was plastic, with 2,671
plastic items bagged and recorded
• 726 individual plastic carrier bags were
retrieved from the water
• Food packaging was also a major
culprit, with over 1,800 items retrieved,
including crisp and sweet packaging,
drink cans and food containers
• 281 complete glass bottles
were collected
• Fishing line and discarded fishing
tackle was a noted problem on wreck
sites and piers
Carlisle & Distr
ict Divers
58% of ALL the litter
retrieved during the
BSAC Underwater
Litterpick 2012 was
made of plastic
The ‘Haul ‘
• Thankfully, the number of dead or
injured animals found was minimal
although there were several reports
of entanglement in line, including
dogfish and lobster
Every year, an estimated
100,000 marine
mammals die as a
result of entanglement
in or ingestion of litter.
• Four oil drums were
retrieved….one of
which had been
converted into a BBQ!
• The largest item
brought up was
a yacht’s mast!
s’ jar
Yac ht mast
Scarborougrhecovered by
SAC
A bag plastic bag
dropped 20 years ago
may not breakdown in
our lifetime.
MCS Beachwatch 2011 report
1860
s
’
i
n
U
Kingston
M id Herts D
ivers
• The campaign unfortunately evidenced
deliberate dumping and fly-tipping into our
waters, with shopping trolleys, bikes, car
wheels, scaffolding, fencing and even a
vacuum cleaner and a flood light retrieved.
• We also unearthed ‘vintage’ evidence that
marine debris doesn’t simply go away….
including a 1960s milk bottle and a pottery
marmalade jar dated 1860!
The Attention…
The BSAC Underwater Litterpick 2012 also cleaned up in the Press, with over 30 news items –
including TV and radio - reporting on the underwater efforts of our divers and snorkellers.
Here are just a few of the headlines….
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What happens next?
With the last 2012 dive now completed and all the survey forms
submitted and collated, we’ve been delighted by the response to the BSAC
Underwater Litterpick campaign.
This short summary report is intended to give an overview of the
2012 campaign, the successes, the issues and the results. All the survey
forms submitted have now been passed to the Marine Conservation
Society so the BSAC Underwater Litterpick 2012 findings can contribute to
the on-going research into the issue of marine pollution around the UK.
We are also already starting to plan for the 2013 BSAC Underwater
Litterpick campaign. With 2013 BSAC’s 60th anniversary, we are planning
a bigger and better Underwater Litterpick and hope even more BSAC clubs
and divers/snorkellers will get involved.
In the meantime, please keep the spirit of the Underwater Litterpick
campaign on-going by incorporating ‘litter awareness’ into your ordinary
diving life.
rd
Bradfo
SAC
Below are just a few small ideas that can make a BIG difference to our
precious seas:
• Pick up litter you see (such as cans and plastic) on every dive or on
the shore.
• Become ‘litter free’ – make it your policy that no rubbish is discarded
over the side of your club RIB or boat and get everyone in your dive
club to do the same.
• Report unlawful dumping – if you see anything that concerns you,
contact the Environment Agency Emergency hotline on 0800
807060.
• Encourage docks and marina to provide adequate rubbish and
recycling bins.
• Be plastic aware – reduce the amount of plastic you use and ensure
all your ‘diver plastic’ such as o-rings, cable ties, broken fin straps
etc, are disposed safely and away from the sea.
• Spread the word – with your fellow dive club members, friends
and family
www.bsac.com/makingwaves
www.mcsuk.org
I thought the BSAC Underwater Litterpick 201
2 was a great event
and it was great to be part of it - individual
clubs collectively
making a big difference. Neasa Braham, Here
ford SAC
Thank You!
BSAC would like to thank the members of the following clubs who worked so hard to make the very first BSAC Underwater Litterpick a success:
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Aberystwyth University SAC
Atlantic Scuba
Aylesbury Green Park SAC
Bermondsey SAC
Bexley B982
Birmingham SAC
Blyth SAC
Boldmere Divers
Bradford SAC
Brighton BSAC
BSAC Red Sea
Bushey & Borehamwood
Sub-Aqua Club
Canterbury Divers B326
Carlisle and District Divers
Chelmsford & District SAC
Chesham Sub-Aqua
Chester SAC
Chichester SAC
Chiltern Divers
Cotswold 332
Crawley Divers
Croy-Tech BSAC
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Cupar Sub Aqua Club
Del Mar
Desert Sports Diving Club
Doha SAC
Doncaster
East Cornwall Divers
Eccleston SAC
Ellon SAC
Exeter SAC
Glasgow Underwater Group
Glasgow University
Gwynedd SAC
Hartford SAC
Hereford SAC
Hinckley SAC
Hull University
Illfracombe & north Devon SAC
Imperial College
Kendal & Lakes
Kingston University
Lincoln SAC
Looe Divers
Mid Herts Divers
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Mulberry Divers
Muscat Divers
Newcastle University SAC
North Dorset SAC
North Glos BSAC
North West Kent
Oldham SAC
Oxford Brookes University SAC
Phoenix SAC
Plymouth University SAC
Portway SAC
Poseidon SAC
PWSAC 0864
Red Sea Branch
Ribble Valley SAC
Rolls-Royce
Ruislip & Northwood
Scarborough SAC
South China Diving Club
South Wales Wreck n
Reefs SAC
• Southport
• SQSAC
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St Albans SAC
Sunstar Sub Aqua
Sutton Coldfield
Swansea Yacht & SAC
Swindon SAC
Thistle Divers
ULSAC
University Divers
University Of Portsmouth SAC
University of Surrey SAC
University of Sussex SAC
West Yorkshire Fire Service
Diving Section
• Woking Snorkel and Scuba
• Worthing BSAC
• Xaverian Dive Club
bsac.com
The BSAC Underwater Litterpick will be returning Summer 2013….join us and help to turn the tide on marine litter. Info: litterpick@
www.bsac.com
T: +44 (0)151 350 6200 E: info@bsac.com www.facebook.com/BritishSubAquaClub