Recreational Boaters and Marine Debris: How We Can Effectively Reduce Littering

Abstract

Historically, there has been considerable emphasis on identifying the sources of marine debris to narrow the focus of remediation. This has been a valuable exercise, principally because it has shown that every group using the water contributes to the trash problem. Recreational boaters, however, have earned the dubious distinction of being a major source of marine debris. There is no question that boaters have ample opportunity to contribute, because collectively they spend more time on the water than any other potential source group. However, the estimates of debris attributable to recreational boaters are based on assumptions about generation and dumping rates that have not been confirmed.