“Live from The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” Attendees Learn About On-Going Research, Ways to Prevent Plastic Pollution in Oceans

Long Beach, CA (PRWEB) July 23, 2014

A live satellite broadcast from the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” on Sunday allowed more than 100 people to speak directly with Captain Charles Moore and the research crew currently conducting a series of experiments about the impacts of plastic pollution on the world’s oceans.

As part of the research and education work conducted by Algalita Marine Research and Education, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium hosted the public presentation, which included revealing new discoveries such as a new debris island and evidence that plastic pollution is spreading further than previous thought.

The session included a land-based panel of experts proposing action-oriented solutions to reduce plastic waste and discussing the long-term impacts of plastic pollution on marine life and valuable food sources.

“Ocean pollution is a global issue and judging by the response of attendees, this environmental problem has taken center stage in local communities,” said Marieta Francis, Algalita’s Executive Director. “People everywhere are concerned and want to learn more.”

Photos and video from the current Algalita research expedition that were shown at Sunday’s event are or will soon be available to the public at: http://www.algalita.org. The voyage blog is also available. The research vessel will soon return to Long Beach, CA, with fish samples and other material for further laboratory study to determine the extent of toxic contamination in the food chain, to calculate plastic degradation, and more.

About Algalita Marine Research & Education
Algalita Marine Research and Education is a nonprofit organization committed to solving the plastic pollution crisis in our oceans. In 1997, our founder, Captain Charles Moore discovered an area of plastic debris in the North Pacific Ocean known by many as the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch.’ Since then, the Long Beach, CA-based organization has been studying the devastating impact of plastic on our oceans and educating the public. The organization reaches thousands of students worldwide every year. For more information, please visit http://www.algalita.org

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