MARINE pollution is choking Hunter waterways and beaches from Lake Macquarie to Nelson Bay, harming marine life and contaminating the food chain.
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The problem is worsening with population increases, authorities say.
Experts warn if the problem is allowed to grow unchecked, it could become like other places in Australia and the world where the marine environment is like a tip (See images of Belize, Guam and Baja California).
The Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority will use a $300,000 federal grant to tackle marine pollution this year.
Officials and volunteers are trying to stop marine debris, which they say is a hazard for all sea creatures and humans who eat them.
Plastic, which amounts to 60 to 80per cent of marine debris, is a particular concern.
Hunter catchment authority coastal and marine officer Brian Hughes said: ‘‘Whatever plastic products are produced, some people will do the wrong thing and a percentage of it will end up in the ocean.’’
Mr Hughes said many people did not realise that fish ate plastic.
‘‘Bits of plastic in the ocean tend to pick up the other pollutants that are out there,’’ he said.
Some moves have been made towards biodegradable plastic, but specialists say much more must be done to change the plastic industry.
Others say the amount of plastic and waste in society must be reduced and manufacturers must be made to take more responsibility for the problem.
Discarded fishing line, nets and ropes were a big problem.
A federal environment department statement said entanglement in marine debris caused marine life to suffer ‘‘restricted mobility, starvation, infection, amputation, drowning and smothering’’.
‘‘Turtles, whales, sharks and sea birds may be severely injured and die,’’ the statement said.
‘‘Marine species confuse plastic bags, rubber, balloons and confectionery wrappers with prey and ingest them.
‘‘The debris usually causes a physical blockage in the digestive system, leading to painful internal injuries.’’
Hunter project officer Melinda Anderson said recent campaigns had focused public attention on the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
‘‘It’s important to bring this bigger picture home to a local level in the Hunter,’’ Ms Anderson said.
The Tangaroa Blue Foundation is working on the problem with the Hunter catchment authority. The program involves establishing marine debris hotspots, removing rubbish, tracking its source and collating the information in a national database.
‘‘The program is a lot more than cleaning up,’’ foundation managing director Heidi Taylor said.
‘‘It’s about stopping the stuff from getting there in the first place.’’
Ms Taylor said it was estimated 18,000 pieces of plastic float in every square kilometre of ocean.
Pollution in Hunter becoming major problem
MARINE pollution is widespread in the Hunter Region, but work is being done to tackle the problem.
Hunter Region Waterwatch officer Ingrid Berthold said she went to 50 sites in the region for water quality testing.
‘‘Every place I went, there was rubbish,’’ Ms Berthold said. ‘‘I found a lot of cans, bottles and takeaway food wrappers, especially around bridges where people go to fish or socialise.’’
The Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority is working with indigenous groups on clean-up programs.
Bahtahbah, Worimi and Awabakal Aboriginal land councils will remove rubbish from Lake Macquarie, the Hunter estuary and Newcastle beaches.
Workers would be taught to do surveys of the pollution to add to a national database, marine debris project officer Melinda Anderson said.
There will be research on how marine debris effects threatened turtles and black cod.
Help be part of the solution. Visit cleanupaustraliaday.org.au