Falklands Conservation

Marine Debris and Pollution

Marine Debris is a Threat to Falklands Wildlife
Effects of Marine Debris on Wildlife
Where Does the Falklands Garbage Come from?
Current Legal Controls on Shipping Waste
Recommended Shipping Measures which should be Adopted
Whalebone Cove Clean Up Report

Marine Debris is a threat to Falklands Wildlife

The shores of the Falkland Islands are remote but in today's throwaway culture even here there are beaches strewn with rubbish. With an exceptionally rich marine environment to protect steps to reduce this growing menace are urgently needed.

Many animals in the Falklands are already under significant threat. These include the Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes chyrosocome chyrosocome, which has suffered a dramatic population decline in recent years, for which the reasons are still largely unknown. Also thought to be in decline are the Southern Elephant seals Mirounga leonina, with just 4,000 animals remaining, and the Southern Sea Lion Otaria flavescens, which reproduce just 2000 pups per annum within the Islands. All of these species are already vulnerable, and an increase in the potential threats to them via marine garbage is of grave concern.

Effects of Marine Debris on Wildlife

Entanglement can either constrict growth and circulation, causing eventual slow death, or trap marine animals within large debris, leading to asphyxiation, starvation or predation. At the very best it increases their drag coefficient through the water, and animals simply starve due to their inability to catch prey.

Ingestion also has a wide range of lethal or sub-lethal effects. Physical damage can occur to the digestive tract, or mechanical blockage of the digestive system which leads to starvation and death. Some man made plastics may also be a source of toxic pollutants, which can be gradually released as the animal attempts to break it down. All of these effects in turn lead to a reduced ability to reproduce successfully, catch prey and avoid predation. In the natural environment, this leads to certain death.

Where does the Falklands Garbage Come From?

The main sources of marine garbage in the Falklands are from sewage, fisheries and shipping.

Currently all the sewage waste from Stanley is pumped out into the Harbour without primary screening treatment. The necessity for action is related to the capacity of the waters to degenerate and recycle waste and nutrients. This can be monitored by the biological oxygen demand of the water, and counts of bacteria in certain organisms and sediments. This essential monitoring is not, however, performed on a regular basis. In addition to problems generated on land with sewage, wind blown rubbish is generated by the Eliza Cove dump.

Most vessels operating in Falkland waters do not have any facility for waste disposal. Therefore, fishing for a four month or longer period, all the wastes go into the sea, including domestic refuse, food waste and sewage. On each vessel there are 25-70 persons. In 1996 there were 150+ vessels in the zone, only 15 of which are FI registered and under any water management controls. A recent questionnaire devised and distributed by the Fisheries Department and Halcrow for the fishing and shipping companies should provide an insight from the operators point of view and ascertain the level of wastes being dumped into Falkland waters. It is essential for the safety of our wildlife and protection of seas and shorelines that these findings are acted upon in order to reduce this growing problem.

Current Legal Controls on Shipping Waste

A review of the legislation controlling the actions of ships operating in Falkland waters is desperately needed. In 1992, with the Adoption of Legislation Ordinance, the Islands adopted the Merchant Shipping Prevention of Pollution by Garbage Regulations 1988. However, the particular paragraph which applies this legislation to all vessels instead of purely Falklands vessels was missed out. This, therefore, only applies to those vessels bearing a Falklands flag, and not, as is the case in the UK, to any vessel operating within our territorial waters. Effectively this means that any ship arriving in Falkland waters from another country is bound by no rules other than a 95 year old Harbour Ordnance. Under this Ordnance, any vessel dumping garbage (excluding oily waste) within our 12 mile limit can be charged £50. Thanks to the Oil Pollution Ordinance the dumping of oily wastes is rather more limited, with a maximum penalty of £100,000 to vessels within territorial waters. 1996 saw 165 vessels operating in Falkland waters, of which only 12 were FI registered and under obligation to dispose of their waste correctly.

Recommended Shipping Measures which Should be Adopted

Several options exist for the removal of waste from ships. Oil collection facilities using a tug and barge within Berkeley Sound, or a road tanker for collection whilst vessels are alongside, would provide a solution to the problem of oily wastes. Compulsory slop tanks, incinerators or compactors on board vessels would reduce pollution by other materials. International cruise ships which enter the zone do have a waste management policy, and all have an International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate, which requires a separator for oily wastes. The application of these measures to all vessels entering our territorial waters would prevent much of the pollution from shipping.

Whalebone Cove Clean Up Report

Over 100 civilian and military helpers turned up on 20th September 1997 to help with the Beachwatch '97 Clean Up organised by Falklands Conservation in association with the Marine Conservation Society. Approximately 170 bags full of rubbish, old tyres and discarded nets, weighing over 2 tonnes were collected from 1.5km of shoreline. The majority of the rubbish was plastics, from industrial strapping bands used in packaging to plastic bags and hundreds of plastic bottles and containers. The second most common form of waste was rope, cord and partial sections of nets, presumably from fishing and shipping activities. A high level of sanitary waste was found, highlighting the increasing need to 'bag it and bin it" instead of flushing away into the Harbour. The effort to clean up the beach, however, came too late for several seabirds. One Rock Shag Phalocrocorax magellanicus was found dead inside a plastic sack, and two Falkland Flightless Steamer ducks Tachyeres brachypterus were found entangled, one in cord and rope and one with a plastic drinks yoke around its neck.

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