Low levels of marine debris recorded

February 1st, 2022

Marine litter is a problem of global proportions. To find out the scale of the issue at Ningaloo, marine debris surveys are undertaken regularly at Northern Ningaloo as part of our shallow reef research.

Data collected has found the levels of marine debris over the 50 kilometre area surveyed to be very low in comparison to many places, with as little as 0.004 to 0.02 items of debris found per square metre!

Read more about our findings on the ABC Pilbara or in Marine Pollution Bulletin. Vol 174 (2022)

Image of a CSIRO researcher walking a marine survey line to collect data on marine debris at Ningaloo

CSIRO shallow reef researchers undertaking marine debris surveys at Ningaloo (Nick Thake/CSIRO).