The cloudy morning of 11 September saw NOWPAP staff joining a class of fourth grade students, their teachers, members of the local senior people’s club and Toyama Prefecture government staff on Matsudaehama Beach, Toyama to remove and classify beach litter. Participants in the Marine Litter Survey, conducted by NPEC (Northwest Pacific Region Environmental Cooperation Center), collected artificial objects from designated square patches of 10 x 10 m, and weighed and sorted the trash into categories. In about 5 kg of marine litter collected, 49 percent was polystyrene and 97 percent plastic related. Garbage originating in the Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China was also found, reminding us that we share the same ocean. The children made a presentation on the harm caused by marine litter to aquatic organisms and learned about the importance of always putting trash in garbage cans and picking up trash. Several other marine litter surveys were conducted at different beaches in Toyama city during September and October.
Implementation of NOWPAP contributes to the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) in the Northwest Pacific region.