Abundance and distribution of anthropogenic marine litter in Hatiya and Nijhum Dwip Island, Bangladesh

Abstract

Marine litter is commonly found throughout the oceans, and creates a significant threat to the marine ecosystem. The purpose of the study was to investigate the abundance and distribution of marine litter in Hatiya and Nijhum Dwip Islands, Bangladesh during the post-monsoon and to determine beach cleanliness using the clean-coast index (CCI). A 100-meter line transect was established at each beach, divided into five sections of 20 meters each and positioned perpendicular to the shoreline at the water's edge. A total of 11 types of marine litter were observed. Namar Bazar, Nijhum Dwip Sea beach showed a higher density of litter (0.30 items/m compared to Kamalar Dighi, Hatiya (0.13 items/m ). Over 70% of marine litter originated from land-based sources. Plastics were abundant litter at the Kamalar Dighi (46.66%) and Namar Bazar (61.29%). Different size ranges of marine litter were exhibited at the Kamalar Dighi (1.27-25.4 cm) and Namar Bazar (2-74 cm). Based on the mean CCI value, Hatiya and Nijhum Dwip beaches were classified as clean (2.4) and moderate (4.96), respectively. This study, therefore, suggested the conceptual policy framework including short-term (i.e., cleanness of beaches, create awareness, establishment of storages, etc.) and long-term management approaches that would be implemented for sustainable management of marine litter to ensure the conservation of marine biodiversity in the Hatiya and Nijhum Dwip Island.