Debris Brigade Blog: Field Notes From Sea and Shore
The Marine Debris and Plastics Program works on land and at sea to locate, remove, and document plastic pollution during all four seasons, working with commercial and recreational fishermen and hundreds of community volunteers to improve the health of our marine environment. Follow along with team members as they describe their participation in ghost gear projects, shoreline cleanups, debris inventory and mapping, tackling the issue of marine plastic.
Introducing Caitlin Townsend, 2021 Potter Marine Debris Intern
Hello Debris Brigade! My name is Caitlin Townsend. I am a graduate of Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a degree in Marine Science, Safety and Environmental Protection. My love for the environment in general started at a very young age. I grew up in Truro, my father...
Cleaning Up the Outermost Debris – Part I
Jenna Schwerzmann, Joanna Toole Intern During my time with the Center for Coastal Studies, we have achieved some unique cleanups! First there was the adventure out to Lobster Cove at Long Point; later we accomplished our first Brand Audit, and since then, the...
Cleaning Up the Outermost Debris – Part II
Jenna Schwerzmann, Joanna Toole Intern Part I of this blog post told the story of cleaning up the shellfish flats in Wellfleet. This part will talk about the Outer Cape Cleanup. While spending a college semester aboard a research vessel, native Cape Codder and oyster...
Two Tons of Trash Removed From Provincetown, National Seashore Beaches
October 20, 2020 While many research activities across the country have necessarily been restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic, beach debris cleanups are one of the few activities that can be conducted safely, as participants wear masks and gloves and can maintain...
Debris Brigade Blog: A Brand New Kind of Cleanup
October 16, 2020Jenna Schwerzmann, Joanna Toole Intern If you have read our previous blog entries for the year, you know our team has been busy with beach cleanups over the past several months! After collecting our trash, we usually do what we call an “inventory,”...
Debris Brigade Blog: Debris Discoveries in Lobster Cove
October 15, 2020Jenna Schwerzmann, Joanna Toole Intern The Marine Debris and Plastics Program has been documenting this year’s debris removals, despite the challenges that the pandemic has created. While some CCS staff worked hard to retrieve tons of lost fishing gear...
Debris Brigade Blog: Plastic Free July
September 30, 2020Amy Green, Marine Debris Intern, Summer 2020 Plastic Free July 2020: wake up, coffee, Facebook post, Instagram story post, then on to the workday. As a Center for Coastal Studies Marine Debris intern, I had the opportunity to share ideas on reducing...
Debris Brigade Blog: How I Got Here
August 30, 2020Amy Green, Marine Debris Intern, Summer 2020 I still remember the first time I saw the ocean. I was nine years old, and my jaw dropped as I stared out at the endless horizon. Growing up in Minneapolis, lakes surrounded us, but the closest I had come to...
Debris Brigade Blog: Summary of Field Work in the Time of COVID-19
June 15, 2020Laura Ludwig, Project Manager, Co-Principal Investigator When the pandemic settled in for good in mid-March, the ghost gear field work was just ramping up. Side scan sonar surveys had begun in February, and collaborating fishermen were readying their...
Debris Brigade Blog: Day One – Field Work
Day One – Field Work March 11, 2020 – Owen Nichols, Director, Marine Fisheries Research; Co-Principal Investigator The Center for Coastal Studies (CCS), accompanied by Wellfleet Shellfish Department staff, conducted a side-scan sonar survey in Wellfleet Harbor on...
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