West side coastal cleanup continues in Portsmouth

Volunteers remove 373 pounds of debris from Cory’s Lane beach

Posted 4/11/16

PORTSMOUTH — On a cool Saturday afternoon, 47 volunteers from Clean Ocean Access (COA) removed 373 pounds of small- to medium-sized marine debris along the waterfront at the end of …

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West side coastal cleanup continues in Portsmouth

Volunteers remove 373 pounds of debris from Cory’s Lane beach

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — On a cool Saturday afternoon, 47 volunteers from Clean Ocean Access (COA) removed 373 pounds of small- to medium-sized marine debris along the waterfront at the end of Cory’s Lane, southward toward Melville Boat Basin.

The cleanup, which was performed as part of the Marine Debris Solutions Lifecycle Project (MDSLP), 

“Cory’s Lane provides a great public access point to the shoreline on the west side of the island. People fish, swim, paddle board and enjoy the coastline all year long,” said Dave McLaughlin, COA’s executive director. “This was our fifth cleanup on the coastline and we’ve now removed 1,290 pounds of debris from this section. Most of the debris is consumer waste, but we also found derelict fishing gear, wooden crates, car tires and a computer monitor.”

Marine debris isn’t just an eyesore, Mr. McLaughlin said. It reduces the habitat and ecosystem connectivity of the coastal zone and plastic specifically slowly breaks into smaller pieces and becomes tiny particles that fish often mistake as food, he said.

Bioaccumulation of plastic and toxins in the shellfish and fish in Narragansett Bay is a real concern, he said, but ocean health can be improved if enough people work together.

COA is an Aquidneck Island environmental group with a grassroots approach to its mission of taking action today so future generations can continue to enjoy ocean activities. 

Entering its 10th year of service, primary programs focus on eliminating marine debris from the shoreline (CLEAN), improving water quality (OCEAN) and working to protect, preserve and maintain shoreline access (ACCESS). All programs include a broader outreach of youth development, education and community events.

For more information, visit www.cleanoceanaccess.org.

Clean Ocean Access coastal cleanups

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