Media Release

When: 1:30pm. Tomorrow – Thursday 3rd April
What: Press conference before the 2014 South West Marine Debris Cleanup crew departs Hobart
Where: Constitution Dock, Hobart (the Velocity is docked in front of the Drunken Admiral)

The great Tasmanian South West Marine Debris Cleanup sets sail from Constitution Dock tomorrow. The annual volunteer-run expedition has been cleaning up some of Australia’s wildest beaches for the past 15 years.
In 2013 alone, the cleanup team picked up over 35,000 pieces of rubbish from remote beaches located in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area on the west coast.
“Marine debris is choking our planet’s oceans. An estimated 7 billion tonnes of rubbish enters our oceans every year, impacting wildlife, human health and our precious marine ecosystems,” said cleanup coordinator Matt Dell.
Marine debris has been making global headlines in recent days, as the search continues for signs of Flight MH370 in the sea of litter that is the Indian Ocean. A recent CSIRO study estimated there were between 5000 to 7000 pieces of marine debris per square kilometre of ocean in the waters around Australia. Much of this rubbish finds its way onto beaches.

“The cleanup is a unique and important part of the global effort to protect our marine environments from a plastic wave of pollution. Over the past 15 years, our committed team of volunteers has picked up well over 150,000 pieces of rubbish from some of Tasmania’s most spectacular and inaccessible beaches,” said Mr Dell.

One of the three cleanup boats, the Velocity, will be departing Constitution Dock in Hobart tomorrow evening.

For more information, contact Matt Dell: 0419 922 887
More information is available on the website.
http://wha-marinedebris.blogspot.com.au/