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California's Ocean Protection Council (OPC) staff today released

An Implementation Strategy for the California Ocean ProtectionCouncil Resolution to Reduce and Prevent Ocean Litter.This is a 23 page final draft open for comments, thatcontains the strategy to reduce and eliminate ocean litter bybanning plastic bags and containers statewide. Recommendations alsocall plastic toys for plastic manufacturers to recover and dispose of theirproducts and for product user fees to be assessed.If you read this report, you will find out how serious the problemsour ocean has from litter, how it affects fish and marine mammals,and why it is so important that California take bold action.Action will not come without strong opposition from the plasticsindustry. This report sets the stage for action that will have farreaching benefit for ocean healthbut only once it has beenadopted by the OPC. (1) institute a statewide prohibition on single-useplastic bags and polystyrene takeout containers; and (2) imposefees on other packaging.OPC staff is seeking comments on the draft in writing by August.Staff will incorporate changes to the draft based on commentsreceived. The OPC is also soliciting public comment during itsmeeting September 11 at 9 a.m. in Half Moon Bay.Just take a look at how the report begins in describing the currentsituation off California coast and you will recognize what isat stake:Ocean litter also commonly referred to as marine debris is a persistent and growing problem worldwide. In the Southern Ocean, the amount of plastic debrisincreased 100 times during the early 1990s. These are just a fewexamples of an expanding body of research that demonstrate that,despite the MARPOL international treaty prohibition on dumpingplastics at sea, debris in the oceans is increasing at an alarmingrate. This is due to the fact that 80% of the debris comes fromland-based sources, particularly trash and plastic litter in urbanrunoff, and the generation of trash and waste is increasing.SDuring the last 10 years, the Southern California Coastal WaterResearch Project (SCCWRP) and the Algalita Marine ResearchFoundation (AMRF) have conducted studies to identify and quantifyocean litter in 4 marine habitats: the beach, the ocean bottom, theocean water column, and the ocean surface. The ocean bottom isdominated by larger material, such as fishing gear and beveragecontainers. The water column contains mostly plastic fragments,small enough to be suspended by ocean currents. The ocean surfacecontains fragments and whole items of floating plastic trash. Thebeach environment contains a combination of different materialsthat differ in size and composition according to distance from thewater edge. The environmental impacts associated with oceanlitter will vary by habitat with aesthetic issues being moreimportant on beaches, and food web concerns being more significantfor the small surface.