# Newfoundland harbours littered with trash and bottles



## RCO (Nov 22, 2017)

[h=1]What's in your harbour? Scientist appalled by Newfoundland's underwater trash problem[/h][h=3]Pottery, plastics and pedal bikes just some of the debris found by researchers[/h]By Maggie Gillis, CBC News			 					 Posted: Nov 21, 2017 3:06 PM NT			 Last Updated: Nov 22, 2017 7:21 AM NT							 






              Beverage containers cover the floor of a harbour in Newfoundland. (Submitted by Corey Morris)            



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	 A research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada has been surveying what lies beneath the calm waters of harbours in Newfoundland.
Spoiler alert — it isn't pretty.







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*What's in your harbour?*2:08

While there is debris with historical value, such as clay pottery and containers from European vessels visiting during the summer months, there is a much larger amount of trash.
It's the more recent garbage found in our coastal environment that has Corey Morris concerned.
[h=2]Barbecues and bikes[/h]"It's shocking," said Morris, who is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Ocean Science at Memorial University.
"Some places it's near impossible to see the natural bottom because its covered in so much debris."





Corey Morris says his most surprising find was this clothes dryer. When he opened the door he found work clothes and boots still inside. (Submitted by Corey Morris)

"Many of the new garbage contains plastic. We're seeing vinyl siding, windows, carpet, flooring. We see household items such as fridges, stoves, washers — barbecues are very common in harbours around Newfoundland — tools [and] table saws," he told CBC Radio's _the Broadcast_.
"And the number of pedal bikes are just incredible in our harbours for some reason."
The purpose of the survey, conducted from 2007 to 2016, was to study the effects of harbour infrastructure on fish and fish habitat. 
But over the course of almost a decade, it was the amount of garbage steadily accumulating that really stood out.





A sculpin trapped in discarded fishing gear. Morris says the number of fish, both dead and alive, tangled in old gear was the most disturbing discovery. (Submitted by Corey Morris)

The researchers monitored 20 locations over the course of the survey, from the tip of the Northern Peninsula to the Southern Shore of the Avalon. 
Every year they found new evidence of dumping — lawn chairs, fish trapped in discarded fishing gear, bags of garbage, clothing and rubber tires.
[h=2]Widespread problem[/h]Morris didn't want to identify the harbours surveyed because, he said, it's a widespread issue and not specific to any particular part of the province.    
"Everywhere you go you've got the same problem. You can go in any harbour from one end of the province to the other and once you go down underwater, everything looks the same."





Household items and building materials were often found sitting on harbour floors. (Submitted by Corey Morris)

Harbours without wharves were much cleaner, he said. But even in communities with newer wharves, the researchers saw debris appearing year after year.
"That's what really raised my concern," he said. "This is still happening. This is still an issue. Like, what are we doing?"
Morris and research technician Daniel Porter will present their findings at a public lecture called "Garbage in N.L. Harbours, Old and New." The talk will happen at the Johnson Geo Centre on Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.
Morris said he wants to raise awareness and prompt people to take action against the continued dumping of garbage into the coastal environment.
"And hopefully people can do their part not to continue this pollution." 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/harbour-garbage-newfoundland-1.4412203


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## RCO (Nov 22, 2017)

wanted to share this story I saw online about a trash survey done on the harbours that dot the coast of Newfoundland in eastern Canada , its really rather disgusting the stuff they found and show in the video link . they found everything down there and some of the pictures , is so much trash and beer bottles you can't see anything else . 

they said there is some older bottles and pottery , however is so much modern trash its unlikely you'd even see anything older if you went down 

some of the trash is newer , although they felt a lot of it was dumped in years ago and has stayed down there as it has no where else to go


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## andy volkerts (Nov 22, 2017)

I agree its disgusting, but not all of it was dumped, a lot of it comes from all the Hurricanes you have along the east coast, several named ones every year!! that's where that dryer with the clothes in it came from.Andy


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## Mikez (Nov 23, 2017)

There must be so much cool stuff on the ocean bottom. 

I've seen pictures of some insane native artifacts dredged from Chesapeake Bay by clammers. Their gear targets hard items in soft mud and brings them up without breaking. 
Perfect for clams and artifacts, gotta be plenty bottles too.


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## RCO (Nov 23, 2017)

Mikez said:


> There must be so much cool stuff on the ocean bottom.
> 
> I've seen pictures of some insane native artifacts dredged from Chesapeake Bay by clammers. Their gear targets hard items in soft mud and brings them up without breaking.
> Perfect for clams and artifacts, gotta be plenty bottles too.



its tough to says whats down there , the older items would be down deeper than the new stuff , so the pictures might only show newer items . there video clip showed hundreds of beer bottles , also might of seen a couple coca cola but nothing really old 

I've swam around some docks here but never seen anything that bad , although did find modern beer bottles and cans like they did 

there is a group run by a younger woman cleaning up the harbour in Parry Sound Ontario ( on gerogian bay )   , I meet her once , they've been diving down and found old bikes and some bottles , although she didn't seem to know a lot about the bottles they found when I asked her about them but some appeared to be older


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## RCO (Nov 23, 2017)

all the articles on the Parry Sound docks clean up seem to be unaccessible although there is some you tube video on the initiative , its only on Georgian bay but has a very large natural harbour that has been active for over 100 years , I know they found bottles as I saw some of them but don't believe they've found anything rare or stunning yet ,a lot of tires and metal though 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIitpGUrK24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Z-ieY6upo 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzzqKs26hI0&t=3s


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## deenodean (Nov 23, 2017)

andy volkerts said:


> I agree its disgusting, but not all of it was dumped, a lot of it comes from all the Hurricanes you have along the east coast, several named ones every year!! that's where that dryer with the clothes in it came from.Andy


yes I saw the article too, it’s disgusting. However Andy, I have to disagree that this garbage is coming from hurricanes. This stuff comes from people who are too lazy to take their trash to the proper land fill , to their curb during heavy garbage pickup day or recycling facility. There is so much illegal dumping here in our area too, some people just don’t care about our planet. I must applaud efforts of business and governments who are promoting recycling, every little bit helps.


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## andy volkerts (Nov 23, 2017)

I agree, but was just saying that nature isn't helping either. we all need to do a much better job disposing of our trash, in our area the trash company offers a free pickup day of your choosing each year, and will pick up everything but oil, which you can take to them any time. So people in my Sacramento Ca, area have no excuse, and they still dump on my rural road all the time. Many people are just pigs!!!


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## coldwater diver (Nov 26, 2017)

In two hundred years will some of those items be collectible? Its ironic I dive in hopes of finding trash from others purposely thrown in lakes, streams, harbors, rivers. Bottles, signs, insulators, scrap metals. I probably do over 60-70 dives a year all over New England. I find it all and then some. Human nature then as now. I live on the coast of Maine and walk my dogs along the beach often, I am always amazed at the sheer amount of trash that washes ashore, coming from pleasure boats and fishing boats. The area when diving is absolutely littered with ghost lobster traps around and in the harbors, usually caused by storms, competing lobster-men( or is it lobster persons these days? ) cutting lines. Lakes forget about it sunglasses and beer cans and bottles by the thousands in some places. I expect a public campaign to make people aware in Newfoundland could help curb some of it.


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## andy volkerts (Dec 5, 2017)

does NY city still haul bargeloads of trash out to sea and dump them........how many other cities along the coast do this????


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## RCO (Dec 5, 2017)

andy volkerts said:


> does NY city still haul bargeloads of trash out to sea and dump them........how many other cities along the coast do this????




I hope not , I'd assume they have stopped doing this , when considering the concern there is about the health of the oceans


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## RCO (Dec 5, 2017)

[h=3]( this was banned in 1992 according to my searching online and not done anymore by cities along the atlantic coast )   
[/h][h=3]

Ocean Dumping Is Ending, but Not Problems - New York Can't Ship ...[/h]www.nytimes.com/.../ocean-dumping-ending-but-not-problems-new-york-can-t-ship-...

Similar



Jun 29, 1992 - For _*New York*_, the end of _*ocean dumping*_ means the beginning of a new and troubling era: a _*city*_ that is already struggling to recycle, burn, export, sell and bury nearly 30,000 tons of _*garbage*_ every day will have to find ways to handle some more. And despite plans, promises and years of negotiations, ...


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