Plastic pollution in the ocean "an enormous problem," says CSU Channel Islands professor

When you walk along the beach in Ventura County, or pretty much any beach in the world, you're probably walking on tiny pieces of plastic derived from clothes, packaging, fishing tackle and other manmade sources.

That's according to Clare Steele, an assistant professor of environmental science at CSU Channel Islands, whose research is adding to growing global awareness – and alarm – over the extent of plastic pollution in our oceans and along our coastlines.

From beaches in Ventura and the Channel Islands to those on the far-flung Cook Islands in the South Pacific and Hawaii, microscopic plastic is showing up in sand samples and even in the bellies of local wildlife, she said.

Steele talked about her research and the emerging problem of microplastic pollution during an hour and a half lecture at the Ojai Library on Saturday, part of CSUCI's free Library Lecture Series at libraries across the county.

"In every environment that we have looked, including deep ocean trenches and submarine canyons, seafloor sediments, beaches, we're finding ocean litter," Steele told the audience of about 25 people. "This is an enormous problem."

Plastic began entering the ocean ecosystem in the 1950's when production of it started to ramp up on an industrial scale, Steele said. Today, about 150 million tons of plastic are circulating in the ocean – some of it forming giant "islands" of floating debris particles – and another 8 million tons of plastic are added each year.

About 80 percent of ocean plastic pollution comes from land sources, including discarded trash such as takeout containers and plastic bags, and synthetic clothing that sheds plastic microfibers in the washing machine and eventually gets pumped out to sea. Some personal care products such as toothpaste and facial scrub also contain tiny beads of plastic that end up in the water system. Other plastic pollution comes from ocean-based activities such as fishing, Steele said.

Creatures such as sand crabs can mistake particle-size plastic for food, Steele noted. She said one of her students found synthetic fibers in the stomachs of 35 percent of sand crabs sampled along the California coast. This poses a threat to the crabs because the plastic is indigestible and takes up room in their stomachs, preventing them from eating other food, she explained. Eventually, as the plastic makes its way up the food chain, it could end up in fish that people eat, she said.

People can help tackle ocean plastic pollution on an individual level by washing synthetic clothes such as fleeces less often, reducing their use of throwaway plastic items and packaging, and by participating in beach cleanups, Steele said.

However, more must be done on a societal level to respond to the challenge, she said. She encouraged audience members to support policies that reduce ocean litter.

"Individual actions are great, but it's going to take collective action to really deal with this problem," she said. 

Luckily, legislators have started taking plastic pollution seriously. In 2015, the federal government outlawed microbeads in personal care products starting in July 2017. And California's ban on plastic bags in 2016 has dramatically reduced plastic bag litter on beaches, figures show.

A new California bill introduced last month, AB 1884, would make it illegal for restaurants to give out plastic straws unless guests request it. And the state's Ocean Protection Council is currently seeking public input on developing new strategies to reduce plastic trash in the ocean, including microfibers.

Linda McMillan, who lives in Meiners Oaks, attended Saturday's talk because she said she's always looking for more information, especially on environmental issues. She said she planned to share what she learned with her grandchildren when she returned home.

"If we can learn, we can teach our children or grandchildren. We can raise consciousness," she said. "Every little bit helps. You have to give it an effort."

If you go:

The next free public CSUCI lecture at the Ojai Library will be on March 10 and is titled "Beaches on the Edge." The talk will examine current threats to California's coastline. The lecture will take place from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. 

For information on other upcoming lectures in Ojai and at other libraries in the county visit: www.csuci.edu/academics/artsandsciences/library-lecture-series.htm