Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 23, 2025
Data Collection on Marine Litter Ingestion in Sea Turtles and Thresholds for Good Environmental Status
Published on: May 18, 2019
Composition, abundance and sources of anthropogenic marine debris on the beaches from Ecuador - A volunteer-supported
Nikita Gaibor1, Verónica Condo-Espinel2, María Herminia Cornejo-Rodríguez3
1Instituto Nacional de Pesca, Proceso de Investigación de los Recursos Bioacuáticos y su Ambiente, Letamendi 102 y La Ría, P.O. Box 09-0314, Guayaquil, Ecuador; Universidad del Pacífico, Km 7.2 Vía a la Costa MZ520 SL.1, Guayaquil 090904, Ecuador.
Abstract:
This study represents an inter-institutional effort that was supported by more than 400 volunteers. We sampled Anthropogenic Marine Debris (AMD) on 26 beaches, including one beach from Galapagos Islands. AMD was mainly composed of plastics (>60%), followed by cigarette butts, paper and metal. Average AMD density on the continental beaches was 1.31 ± 1.03 items m-2 (mean ± SD). AMD densities and the proportion of plastics were higher on some beaches located on the Gulf of Guayaquil, suggesting that many of the plastic items found on these beaches were, likely, drifted by the swift currents of the Guayas River. Additionally, the overall results indicate that most litter on continental beaches from Ecuador has local sources. Recommendations include marine pollution education and public awareness campaigns to reduce the consumption of plastic bags, as well as a ban on harmful single-use plastics.
