Co-Convenors:
Won Joon Shim (Korea)
Peter S. Ross (Canada)
Olga Lukyanova (Russia)
Sangjin Lee (NOWPAP)
Peter Kershaw (GESAMP)
Jesus Manuel Gago Piñeiro (Spain / ICES)
Invited Speakers:
Marcus Eriksen (5 Gyres Institute, USA)
Francois Galgani (Institut Fran¸cais de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), France)
Sunwook Hong (Our Sea of East Asia Network (OSEAN), Korea)
Hideshige Takada (Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan)
Marine debris is increasingly recognized as a threat to biota in the ocean, which can have a range of socio-economic impacts from coastal areas to the open ocean. The majority of marine debris consists of synthetic polymers, or 'plastics', which readily float on the ocean surface or are suspended in the water column. Microplastics may be attributed to the intentional manufacture of commercial products or the fragmentation of plastic products. They can increase the bioavailable fraction of marine litter and act as a vector for the delivery of intrinsic or adsorbed toxic chemicals to exposed biota. Floating, submerged and beached debris have been documented in marginal seas and the adjacent coastal zone of the North Pacific Ocean. In addition, the North Pacific Ocean Gyre is known to accumulate floating debris in what has become known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch". Marine debris represents trans-boundary pollution which can also deliver associated chemicals and invasive organisms to regions far removed from source. The objective of this session is to present status and trend information for marine plastic debris pollution and its environmental consequences in the PICES region. Papers are invited that assess macro- or micro-plastic debris 1) hotspots in the PICES region, 2) source and input pathways, 3) longrange transport, 4) role as sink or source of associated toxic chemicals, and 5) biological and ecological effects. Recommendations on how to address growing problems associated with marine debris will be also considered.
