MARINE DEBRIS MONITORING SYSTEM IN KOREA

by Dong-Oh Cho*, Sun-Wook Hong** and Jong-Myoung Lee**

*Research Fellow, Korea Maritime Institute, 1027-4, Bangbae3-dong, Seocho-gu
Seoul 137-851, Republic of Korea, oceancho@kmi.re.kr

**Sajig Indoor Swimming Pool 2F, 930 Sajig 2-Dong, Dongrai-Gu, Busan, 607-820, Korea
Korea Marine Rescue Center, oceanook@kornet.net, sachfem@kornet.net

OVERVIEW

Marine debris is by-products of human activity that have ended up in the oceans. As population increases and industrialization continues, huge quantities of marine debris are generated from the land and the aquaculture and fishing industries, which are densely active in the coastal areas.

Most of the land-based marine debris flows into the sea through rivers during times of flooding, so it is difficult to monitor their origin and source of generation. Some land-based marine debris is generated through recreation at the beach and along the coast. Most marine debris harms the marine environment and communities through maritime accidents, habitat degradation, loss of fisheries products, and loss of tourism.

Korea government has initiated marine debris management, such as removal and disposal of deposited marine debris in the coastal waters and fishing grounds and investment for R&D of collection, disposal, recycling of marine debris. However, once marine debris is at sea, it is hard and costly to remove and dispose on land. So the public tries to prevent marine debris generation through public outreach programs, such as monitoring, workshops and participating in the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC).

Compared to other coastal countries in the world, monitoring marine debris in Korea has only started recently. More than twenty three local NGOs have participated in monitoring twenty coastal sites regularly since 2000.

The weight and number of marine debris are identified and measured according to the guidelines from the Ocean Conservancy (O/C). Land-based marine debris is the largest, but compared to other countries, sea-based marine debris (ocean/water) is also large because of dense activity in aquaculture in the coastal waters of Korea.

Most monitoring members are students of the local junior high schools and high schools, teachers of the local elementary schools and junior high schools, and housewives, so the effect of public outreach program seems to be large.

Korea has tried underwater monitoring through diving since 2002 because much marine debris is deposited in the coastal waters. Underwater monitoring is so difficult and dangerous that all of the monitoring members are experts in diving. For monitoring in underwater, a manual was developed in 2003. Korea has participated in the International Coastal Cleanup since 2001. Participation in ICC is a participatory program to raise public awareness in cooperation with NGOs, the national government and research institutes. But NGOs monitoring of marine debris play a key role in carrying out the event.

Monitoring NGOs have held training workshops regularly since 2001. Participants of training workshops are NGOs from various fields as well as monitoring NGOs, volunteers, government officials, and researchers. The purposes of the training workshops are to learn lessons and experiences through case studies of monitoring marine debris in the field. In the workshop, all the participants including the central and local government officials are talking and discussing the status, problems and alternative policies on marine debris and thereby many government policies have been adopted.

Social scientists have developed various kinds of education and public relation materials for public outreach programs. Social scientists develop a draft of all the materials, and then they are tested, evaluated and finalized by NGO leaders and school teachers. Until now social scientists have developed materials for public outreach programs for leaders of NGOs and school teachers. Social scientists have not only developed materials for public outreach programs but also have participated in the monitoring at coastal sites, the ICC, the training workshops and classroom teaching and exchanged opinions and feedback for the development of materials.