New Report on “Plastic Debris in the California Marine Ecosystem” Released

In California, the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) expressed concern over the issue of marine debris and took action in 2007 by approving a resolution aimed at reducing ocean and coastal debris and its impacts to ocean ecosystems. A key aspect of the resolution was the need to better understand the science of plastic marine debris in California. Thus the OPC commissioned the California Ocean Science Trust and University of Southern California Sea Grant to produce a report summarizing the current state of research on the sources, distribution, and impacts of plastic marine debris in California, including an emerging field of research: the toxicology of plastics in seawater.

More information on marine debris can be found here:

• Ocean Protection Council – Preventing Ocean Litter
• California Ocean Science Trust - Plastic Debris in the Marine Environment