A country's response to tackling plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems: The Chilean way

Abstract

1. Marine plastic pollution is worse than expected, and we are starting to realize its full extent and severity. Solving the plastic pollution problem is not easy, as it requires the action and commitment of all sectors of our society. With a coastline extending over 4,000 km (from 18 S to 56 S), Chile is a maritime country, and since plastics are potentially harmful for marine and coastal ecosystems, food security, and public health, plastic pollution is a real threat. 2. Chile is the sixth-largest exporter of seafood (fish, invertebrates, and algae) in the world, but the extent of plastic contamination of marine organisms, its potential effects on commercial species and aquaculture, and its subsequent effects on human health are mostly unknown. 3. Chile has recently introduced some legislation to prevent plastics from reaching the environment and the coastal ocean. Governmental and non-governmental organizations have joined an informal alliance to take action against plastic pollution, both at a national and regional level, but stronger involvement of producers and commerce is required for effective measures. 4. Chilean scientists working on plastic pollution have created the Scientific Plastic Pollution Alliance of Chile network, aiming to promote collaborative and coordinated research focused on this pollutant. The wide geographical extent of Chile, with researchers working in diverse ecosystems, provides a unique opportunity to better understand the consequences of one of the most recent and severe threats to biodiversity. 5. Rather than solely presenting the plastic pollution problem from the scientific perspective, this paper includes views from different sectors of society. Mitigating plastic pollution is exceptionally complex, with this study highlighting the importance of local engagement, media, solving social inequities, new legislation, and law enforcement in order to advance on decreasing plastic pollution from a country-wide perspective.

Application of Six Detection Methods for Analysis of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins in Shellfish from Four Regions within Latin America

“…In this sense, precautionary closures make it impossible for coastal communities to use seafood as a source of food and small-scale marketing. Chile is the sixth-largest exporter of fish products in the world [106], an industry which is also a source of work and income for thousands of families, who are directly or indirectly related to the industry. For this reason, since 1995 the Shellfish National Sanitation Programme (PSMB), which is dependent on the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Services (Sernapesca), has maintained a surveillance system in the extraction areas and cultivation centres, whose products are mainly destined for export.…”

Hyperspectral longwave infrared reflectance spectra of naturally dried algae, anthropogenic plastics, sands and shells

“…Other samples gathered were natural materials like local sand, rocks, shells, and algae or vegetation for comparison purposes. The samples collected for this experiment were assumed to represent a majority of anthropogenic plastic and natural materials found along the shorelines of the Chiloé Archipelago, and this was consistent with floating litter obtained from a multi-year survey of other regions in Chile (Thiel et al, 2013;Urbina et al, 2020).…”

“…Furthermore, there is a research gap in scientific evidencebased assessments that have utilized a wide range of current in situ, airborne and spaceborne remote sensing tools to monitor plastic litter on the blue and green planet. Technologies with potential applications include synthetic-aperture radar, polarimeters, light detection and ranging, and microwave and thermal infrared imaging (Goddijn-Murphy and Williamson, 2019;van Sebille et al, 2020;Lebreton et al, 2018). Thermal infrared (TIR) sensors have been shown to be suitable for and effective in collecting informa- tion about heterogeneous targets such as clouds, rare earth elements, soils and oil (hydrocarbon) spills, even tracking whales or ships at sea (Laakso et al, 2019;Salisbury et al, 1987;Cuyler et al, 1992;Sobrino et al, 2009;Becker et al, 1981;Salisbury et al, 1993;Kuenzer and Dech, 2013;Hulley and Hook, 2008).…”

Social and Ecological Elements for a Perspective Approach to Citizen Science on the Beach

“…The reaction to a littered beach is rooted on the perception of the litter as an offense (Tudor and Williams, 2003) and has a huge potential to engage and build on people active citizenship (Battisti et al, 2020). Cleanup actions are related to conservation, though can support citizen science, contribute 1 https://ecsa.citizen-science.net/documents/#tenprinciples to the research study of litter pollution on beaches and their management at different scales (Chen et al, 2020;Urbina et al, 2021). The great support of people toward cleanup movements comes from their relationship with the environment by itself and not from an awareness of preserving biodiversity.…”