Watson the Whale

Traveling Through Trash: Coastal Migratory Animal Encounters with Marine Debris (3T) focuses on land-based litter as a source of marine debris found in coastal waters through which species of migratory marine animals travel.

The 3T project highlights the detrimental impacts marine debris can have on migrating animals. Several of these migratory species are particularly popular with school children, especially sea turtles, dolphins, and whales.

It is our belief that children will more readily engage in marine debris prevention if they understand that it can hurt one of these popular species. The purpose of the 3T project is to educate elementary and middle school students living in rural communities of the coastal Carolinas about:

• Migratory species such as whales that travel through our coastal waters

• Impacts that encounters with marine debris can have on migratory marine organisms

• Origins of marine debris – including lifestyle choices by students

• Actions that students can take to mitigate the production of marine debris

To achieve this, MarineQuest has created an inflatable, life-size right whale classroom in which programs will take place. Project staff will travel with the whale classroom to schools where they will implement the 3T curriculum and inspire students to become young ocean stewards. The 3T curriculum is STEM infused and includes:

• Physical science of currents and gyres

• Composition and life expectancy of debris

• Biomagnification in food chains

• Entanglement injuries and prosthetics

• Climate change impacts on migration behavior

Funded by the NOAA Marine Debris Prevention through Education grant program

The Problem

Derelict fishing gear is haunting our oceans, but there is nothing supernatural about the impact of ghost nets. They are very real to the millions of marine organisms that are injured or killed by them yearly in our oceans. When fishing nets are lost, they continue to fish as ghost nets and impact all kinds of marine organisms, capturing and killing crustaceans, fish, turtles, birds, sharks, and marine mammals – even whales. Ghost nets also damage underwater habitats, contribute to marine pollution, and cause economic loss for fishermen. These nets can drift for decades before washing ashore, breaking down into smaller pieces, or being pulled out of the ocean by humans.

What We Are Doing About It

We have developed a creative and engaging curriculum for 5th through 9th grade. Each Ghost (Net) Busters program includes a discussion of the problems associated with ghost nets, followed by a hands-on, inquiry-based STEM learning activity.

Over the course of the program, we traveled around North Carolina with our life-size inflatable whale classroom to educate youth on the environmental impacts of ghost nets. We visited 75 schools and spoke with 14,074 students about the issue and the solutions! We also visited summer camps and attended public schools, reaching an additional 3,823 people!

Be Part of the Solution

• Help with a beach clean-up and remove trash (including fishing nets) from beaches

• Eat fish that have been harvested sustainable and with safer fishing methods (use Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch as a guide to help you choose)

• Spread the word! Teach others about the impacts of ghost fishing gear

Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Fishing for Energy Partnership with funding provided by Covanta