Abundance and sources of plastic debris on beaches in a plastic hotspot, Nha Trang, Viet Nam

Viet Nam is challenged by extensive marine plastic pollution, however, remediation efforts are hampered by undefined sources to the coastal environment. This study surveyed the abundance, type, and source of beached plastic litter at seven beaches along the coast of Nha Trang, Viet Nam. A total of 4...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine pollution bulletin 2023-01, Vol.186, p.114394-114394, Article 114394
Main Authors: Fruergaard, Mikkel, Laursen, Simon N., Larsen, Marianne N., Posth, Nicole R., Niebe, Kasper B., Bentzon-Tarp, Abeline, Svenningsen, Sidsel K., Acevedo N., Laura I., Trinh, Bao-Son, Tran-Thi, Phuong Thao, Doan-Nhu, Hai, Nguyen-Ngoc, Lam, Andersen, Thorbjørn J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aquaculture
Bathing Beaches
Coastal and marine environment
coasts
Environment
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Pollution
Fishing and aquaculture sectors
Macroplastic pollution
marine pollution
Plastics
remediation
Viet Nam
Vietnam
Waste Products - analysis
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Summary:Viet Nam is challenged by extensive marine plastic pollution, however, remediation efforts are hampered by undefined sources to the coastal environment. This study surveyed the abundance, type, and source of beached plastic litter at seven beaches along the coast of Nha Trang, Viet Nam. A total of 4754 beached plastic litter items (>2 cm) yielded a mean abundance of 19.8 ± 19.5 items m−2 corresponding to 116 ± 226 g DW m−2. Our results demonstrate that plastic litter related to fishing and aquaculture constituted at least 62 % of the total by weight and 38 % by number, showing that these two sectors are responsible for a significant part of the plastic pollution along the coast. Hence, we argue that improved management of the fishing and aquaculture sectors could substantially reduce marine plastic pollution along Viet Nam's coast. •Viet Nam is a hotspot for beached marine plastic litter.•In order to reduce plastic pollution along the coast of Viet Nam the sectors of fishing and aquaculture should be targeted.•Food containers constituted the majority of litter from households whereas thermal boxes and ropes made up the majority of litter from fishing and aquaculture sectors.•Plastic pollution must be reported by weight and by number to fully account for plastic debris in a region.
ISSN:0025-326X
1879-3363
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114394