The current state of marine debris on the seafloor in offshore area around Japan

Marine debris on the seafloor has not been thoroughly investigated, and there is little information compared to other types of marine debris. We conducted bottom trawl surveys to determine the present situation of marine debris on the seafloor in offshore areas around Japan. The survey was conducted in three sea areas with different characteristics. As a result, it was found that the amount of marine debris in submarine canyons (2926.1 items/km(2)) was higher than on the continental shelf. It was revealed that most marine debris on the seafloor is comprised of plastic products, and that debris on the seafloor retains its condition for a long time (over 30 years) without deterioration. In addition, the type of marine debris is affected by the industries operating in each area. Continuing to investigate marine debris on the seafloor in more areas will contribute to solving the problem of marine debris.