After spending a few days docked in Tenerife we embarked on our journey crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The first week of sailing the wind and sea state were too strong for trawling. So instead of trawling, the Manta Trawl was given a well needed make-over.
A new manta net replaced the old, as a few holes had begun to show. The old net will be repaired and used as a backup. The new net has been well secured to the trawl with lashings of white waxed thread. I used a sail maker seaming palm to lash it securely to the trawl. A rope of natural Manilla has been attached to the wings of the manta trawl to prevent the trawl from damaging the ship side when launched and recovered.
Onboard the ship I have given talks about plastic pollution and the effects to the ocean environment and the voyage crew have showed interest in the topic and have also been very much involved in the research project. They help launch and recover the manta trawl and they help with visually analysing the samples for microplastic particles.
After a week sailing the tropical North Atlantic we arrived in the waters of Cape Verde and the wind and sea were once again calm enough to launch the manta trawl. The results proved hopeful for the environment as we discovered less plastic in the samples collected at the area.
The distribution and accumulation of ocean plastics is strongly influenced by currents and wind patterns. The Cape Verde is placed just at the edge of the North Equatorial Current which is part of the North Atlantic Gyre. An ocean gyre is a system of ocean currents moving in a circular pattern. The gyre’s circular motion attracts particularly small plastic particles transporting them to the centre of the gyre. So the waste from the coast of the lower part of Europe and top part of Africa is transported via the currents and wind patterns to the North Atlantic Gyre where it remains. There are 5 major gyres on Earth. These are the North Atlantic, the South Atlantic, the Indian, the North Pacific, and the South Pacific.
Photo by Jordi Plana
Photo by Jordi Plana
Around Cape Verde Island we also found lots of seaweed in the water, making the task of finding the microplastic particles in the sieves particularly difficult. The voyage crew have now developed a keen eye for picking out microplastics and so it didn’t take long for them to adjust to this issue. A few have become consistent and skilled at picking out even the smallest of particles and although it is like picking out a needle in a haystack the voyage crew still manage.
It was interesting to see the wildlife in the sample amongst the microplastics. Unusual and fascinating creatures became apparent and it made for a fun afternoon of trying to identify and name these different species. Although it is always upsetting seeing such incredible animals in and amongst plastic pollution it is inspiring to see such diversity even so far away from the main coast.
Photo by Jordi Plana. A porcupine fish trapped in the manta net. The fish was still alive and was released back into the ocean.