Study on the effectiveness of plastic and anthropogenic debris removal by the Seabin system in the Ottawa River
Vanessa Fiore, Jesse Vermaire, C Scott Findlay
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa
Vanessa Fiore, Jesse Vermaire, C Scott Findlay
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa
Plastic and anthropogenic debris continue to accumulate in aquatic and marine environments, posing persistent and, indeed, increasing threats to wildlife and humans alike. Fortunately, the problem has spurred development of mitigation technologies that remove plastic & other debris from aquatic and marine ecosystems. One such innovation includes the SeaBin, a contraption capable in collecting floating anthropogenic debris using an automated pump, inlet and catch bag. Recently, the Nepean Sailing Club located in Ottawa, Ontario, has installed a Seabin system at its marina in order to remove debris from the Ottawa River. As it is being trialed through a pilot project, this study was conducted to assess the overall effectiveness of the SeaBin system as a plastic pollution reduction strategy for the Ottawa River. SeaBin samples were collected over a 24-hour period, 16 times (n=16) throughout the summer and fall. Contents were then sorted and classified with respect to anthropogenic debris, mass, number of items, size, type (plastics vs non-plastics, type of material) and species (aquatic vs terrestrial plants; species of animals). The most common content was plant matter, followed by anthropogenic debris, then animals (average weight of 740.68 ± 423.13 g; 22.02 ± 18.70 g; and 8.75 ± 15.1 g respectively). Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the mass (multiple R2 = 0.3126; p = 0.02436) or number (multiple R2 = 0.6268; p = 0.0002577) of plastic material and the plant biomass captured in the SeaBin, suggesting that plant material may be helping to trap plastics and transporting them to the SeaBin. Nearly identical results have been yielded by the UofT trash team with their SeaBin pilot project at the Outer Harbour in Toronto, Ontario indicating that this is a replicable trend. Most anthropogenic debris caught consisted of plastic fragments, followed by cotton and plastic fiber; corresponding to the type of plastic litter profile typically produced in residential communities. SeaBin capture of organisms was generally low, although live fry and smaller fish (notably Western Banded Killifish) were present in some samples. The results of this study suggest that the SeaBin is one plausible solution to help remove anthropogenic debris from freshwater environments.