![Marine Debris Challenges National Wildlife Refuge System]()
By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
The National Wildlife Refuge System's 174 coastal refuges (including those along the Great Lakes) offer some great places to birdwatch, fish, and observe elephant seals, sea turtles and a host of other marine wildlife. Unfortunately, they are also inundated with marine debris that washes up on refuge shores every year.
Overall, coastal wildlife refuges account for some 30,000 miles of shoreline and 20 million coastal acres.
For almost two decades, volunteers on the Hawaiian Islands and Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuges have collected and catalogued marine debris, including lost commercial fishing...