Marine Debris You wouldn't believe all the garbage that ends up in our oceans and along beaches everywhere. Most debris cannot break down for three to five years and, as it continues to be released year after year, it accumulates in the marine environment. Debris gets into the marine ecosystem through waste disposal or loss of materials from tourists, boaters, commercial shipping and fishing operations, and construction along shores and at sea. Tides and currents carry debris to even the most remote locations, such as B.C.'s Queen Charlotte Islands. Marine creatures get tangled and trapped in plastic fishing lines, nets, ropes, and six-pack rings.
Sea turtles can choke on plastic bags and balloons they mistake for jellyfish.
Ocean garbage also damages boat propellers, clogs up water intake pipes, and blocks pumping systems. Tourism languishes when vile garbage washes up on shorelines. In the Arctic, between December and April each year, you can see a haze in the air. It contains pollutants that have drifted mainly from southern Canada and other industrialized parts of the world. Eventually, some of it falls with snow or rain to the land or sea.