Baseline assessment of marine debris with soil, sediment, and water quality characteristics from the fish landing centres of South Andaman, Andaman archipelago, India.

The present study investigates the issue of marine debris and the associated soil, sediment, water quality, and microbial load from the fish landing centres (Junglighat, Chatham, Wandoor, and Guptapara) of South Andaman. The results revealed that significantly (P < 0.05) higher number and weight of marine debris was found in urban landing centres such as Chatham (21.26 ± 1.03 numbers/m2) and Junglighat (268.16 ± 27.00 g/m2), respectively. Plastic debris was found to be the most abundant type of debris, among which plastic bags were dominant. Better soil, sediment, and water quality parameters were observed in rural landing centres such as Wandoor and Guptapara, whereas microbial load was found to be higher in urban landing centres. The study recommends the imperative need to generate awareness on better management practices among the stakeholders to deal with the issue of marine debris and to aim sustainable management of the coastal environment.