Over the past few decades, production of plastic items and single-use disposable items has risen sharply -- especially food-related packaging, and beverage items (bottles, caps, cups, lids, straws, stirrers). The result can be seen in freshwater rivers, coastal waters, and the ocean where synthetic materials like plastic are found on the water surface, in the water column, and in the benthic (bottom) regions of water bodies. While methods of determining abundance of marine debris vary, there is agreement that the majority of marine debris (up to 84 percent) is made up of plastics. The balance is made of glass, metal, rubber or paper/cardboard including shopping carts, bottles, cans, tires, packaging, etc.

Derelict fishing gear is any discarded, lost, or abandoned, fishing gear in the environment. It includes traps and crab pots; fishing line, hooks and weights; fishing nets; nets that cover clams in aquaculture operations; and oyster aquaculture equipment. It is sometimes referred to as “ghost gear,” since fishing gear continues to fish and trap animals, entangle and potentially kill marine life. In addition, it can smother habitat, and act as a hazard to navigation. Specific derelict fishing gear issues in Virginia include: • Fishing line • Monofilament/nylon (recyclable) • Fluorocarbon (recyclable) • Braided high performance line (non-recyclable) • Crab pots (commercial and recreational) • Whelk pots • Nets (pound nets, gill nets, clam nets)

Microplastics are any piece of plastic smaller than 5 mm in the largest dimension. Some microplastics in the ocean come from fragmentation of larger pieces of plastic – for example, one plastic bottle can be transformed into hundreds of shards of microplastic over time. Other sources of microplastics are polyethylene and polypropylene “microbeads” that are found in personal care products such as self-tanning lotions, makeup and toothpaste. When rinsed down the drain, they travel through the sewer system, where they often pass through waste treatment plants and enter streams, rivers and eventually the marine environment or freshwater lakes. Microfibers from polyester, rayon, nylon and other synthetic materials come off of clothing, rope, and even disposable face masks.

The Virginia Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program and Clean Virginia Waterways, (CVW) in collaboration with the Coastal Policy Center at William & Mary Law School, initiated an Abandoned and Derelict Vessel Work Group with participation from the US Coast Guard, Navy, state agencies, local governments, coastal ports, vessel and marina owners, and other relevant community stakeholders. In a series of meetings, the Work Group strategized actions that will help address abandoned and derelict vessels (ADV). The Virginia CZM Program and CVW developed a vessel inventory of abandoned and derelict vessels to help prioritize actions for future removal efforts.

Because of growing concerns about the impacts of debris and plastic pollution in our rivers, lakes, and oceans, there is increasing emphasis on stormwater management of litter and debris. Virginia faces a new urgency to understand and address the sources of litter and marine debris in our waters.

The Stormwater Connection: 60% to 80% of marine debris comes from inland sources including littering, mis-managed solid waste, uncovered trucks, balloon releases, illegal dumping, etc. (Source: National Marine Debris Monitoring Program research report, April 2008)

CVW and its partners host annual workshops to explore solutions.