A small group of volunteers have been collecting marine debris since November from the beaches between Tarcoola Beach and Point Moore in Geraldton, Western Australia. This section of beach is registered with Tangaroa Blue Ocean Care Society for the Western Australian Marine Debris Project and data submitted monthly on the debris collected.

Initial data analysis has shown this project has highlighted a significant problem in this region with a particularly high level of commercial fishing industry related debris being collected. The data will be included in a the national marine debris report in 2010 and beyond.

The present volunteer coordinators will soon be moving further north and set up a similar project at Drummond Cove, but a replacement coordinator for the Tarcoola to Point Moore project is needed. The role involves collecting debris from other volunteers, photographing debris collected, sorting and counting and submitting monthly data to Tangaroa Blue. A commitment of approximately two to three hours per week is required.

If you, or someone you know may be interested in the coordinator position please contact David on 0427 371 804 or Heidi on 0410 166 684.

Tangaroa Blue would like to thank David and the volunteers in Geraldton for their amazing efforts. Between November 2009 and March 2010 the group removed over 7300 pieces of marine debris from Tarcoola Beach and Point Moore! 

The 2009 South West Marine Debris Project Technical Report is now available to download.

The file can be downloaded by clicking here or the report can be read online in the South West Marine Debris Project section.

Many thanks to Wally Smith for his continuing hard work on processing the data.

Join us for the 6th Annual South West Beach Clean Up and help keep our beaches and oceans clean! This year's event will be held over the weekend of October 9th & 10th and cover beaches from Geraldton to Albany in Western Australia.

Volunteers are invited to register as an individual or as a group and nominate a beach or stretch of coastline they will clean up over the clean up weekend. All materials, volunteer insurance and logistical support will be provided, all we need is lots of energy and many hands to help remove marine debris from the coast.

Since the South West Marine Debris Project started in 2004, volunteers have helped remove over 350,000 pieces of marine debris from south west beaches, helping to protect marine life and seabirds and the local marine environment.

To register a group for the South West Beach Clean Up click here.

To register an individual for the South West Beach Clean Up click here.

Or if you'd like to join an existing group, contact the coordinator listed below.

Thanks for your support!!!

On Saturday January 30th, a dedicated group of sixteen people gathered together to clean up the area around the Jurien Bay Marina. This followed a meeting last November in which a Coast Care Group was formed to help look after the beach and adjoining areas each side of town.

By the time the job was completed, about 11.00am, something like three cubic metres of rubbish had been collected, of which an estimated 75% had come from fishing boats.  Plastic wrapping from bait boxes, hundreds of metres of ropes made up the main lot of rubbish, along with drink cans and bottles, plastic containers, both food and beverage types.  Among the more disgusting finds were disposable nappies, apparently thrown overboard and washed ashore.

The report can be downloaded in the Western Australian section of the Resources and Downloads area.