ORANJESTAD – The staff and interns got together on Friday to clean a 1 kilometer section of Zeelandia, our prime turtle nesting beach. 

Because of the risk of entanglement and ingestion, ocean plastic poses a concern to shorebirds and sea turtles that nest in Statia. Trash plastics, like nets, can entangle and damage these animals, upsetting their breeding grounds and endangering the adults and young. 

After working for three hours, the team counted and categorised 3,793 different types of garbage items throughout the cleanup. “Collecting beach clean data offers insightful information that helps communities, researchers, and policymakers create practical plans for reducing the effects of marine debris, protecting the environment, and safeguarding our ocean health”, says STENAPA.