The distribution of marine debris within a small Zostera marina meadow

Abstract

Marine debris, which includes plastic debris and lost or abandoned fishing gear, has been negatively affecting coastal ecosystems for more than 50 years. We have been closely examining a seagrass ecosystem in Arikawa Bay, Nakadori Island, Nagasaki, Japan by collecting marine debris found within the seagrass meadow and in the barren sand surrounding the meadow. Over the course of the study period (2021 May to November), 117.2 g‧m-2 of marine debris was collected, of which only 5.4% was collected from within the meadow. A multinomial analysis indicates that marine debris affects the coverage of seagrass and the probability of low coverage increases in the presence of marine debris. We hypothesize that the presence of marine debris is an additional factor that can lead to the degradation of seagrass ecosystems. We recommend that more research is needed to reveal the impacts of marine debris on seagrass ecosystems, given the sparsity of information regarding this environmental issue.