Almost all coral reefs, including very deep and remote reefs, are polluted with plastic waste, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. After surveying 84 reefs around the world at varying depths, a team of researchers found that plastic makes up 88 percent of the debris in coral reefs — and 73 percent of that plastic is fishing gear.

“The biggest thing we found is that there is more litter on deeper reefs,” said Lucy Woodall, co-author of the study and associate professor at the University of Exeter. “We have had good information for many years from lots of groups doing good work in shallow water coral reefs, but now that we extended operations into deeper waters, we can see the litter extends into deeper reefs.”

While the results are alarming, Woodall, who is also a marine conservation scientist at the ocean research nonprofit Nekton, insists the paper contains good news. “This is a positive story and one that enables us to think about what our future decisions might be," she said. "When there is protection afforded to marine areas, minimal litter items are found.”

The pollution that was found in protected areas was light plastic that floated into the area from far away. Ocean states face a disproportionate impact of litter entering their boundaries from other places and will need global support to address the pollution. “It’s like climate change,” Woodall said. “The biggest emitters aren’t the ones living with the everyday experiences of a warming planet.”

Some reefs close to human populations have higher levels of plastic pollution, but another hotspot for reef pollution was reefs just outside of marine protected areas, according to the study.

Read the full article about plastic pollution in coral reefs by Mary Riddle at Triple Pundit.