West Coast Ocean Data Portal

Informing marine debris policies and decisions

Marine debris is a problem that costs West Coast states and communities millions of dollars each year in cleanup and ecosystem impacts. Cleanup groups, regulators, researchers, and decision makers need tools for easily visualizing beach cleanup and derelict fishing gear data along with other information. You can explore further by clicking the maps below and filtering by debris type, date, and location.

BY THE NUMBERS

688 Crab pots and traps collected

1,632 Miles cleaned by volunteers

50,000 Plastic bags collected

1,000,000 Pounds of debris collected from West Coast beaches

Data from the West Coast Marine Debris Database since 2002.

Are California’s MPAs impacted by marine debris?

Significant amounts of debris and derelict gear have been found within California’s Marine Protected Areas, meaning that MPAs are not immune to this ocean health issue. Additional cleanup events within the MPA system will provide valuable data on the amount of debris that accumulates, as well as ensure that MPAs are as trash-free as possible.

Where should new cleanups take place?

Examining possible correlations between West Coast human population density and beach cleanup events may highlight areas that can benefit from additional cleanup events. More populated areas may have more debris, but may be able to draw upon a greater volunteer base for cleanup organizers to plan a successful event.

What are the effects of debris prevention policies on our beaches?

LA County banned foam containers in Fall 2010. Quantifying foam packaging-specific beach cleanup data for LA County from Jan 2011-present may provide information about the effectiveness of this county-wide ban on foam-based debris. Filter the beach cleanup layer by the 'Food Containers' debris type to see the effect the ban has had on our beaches.

The Portal includes data viewing tools that help NGOs plan and prioritize beach cleanups and derelict fishing gear removals, policy advocates track effectiveness of policy actions such as bag and cigarette bans, and researchers access and monitor baseline debris on our coasts and in the watersheds.

You can contribute to our understanding of debris impacts by uploading cleanup and derelict gear data into the West Coast Marine Debris Database. Click here to learn more!