In a project collaboration between Japanese Researchers, NOAA, Surfrider Foundation and Lincoln County, a streaming camera for monitoring marine debris was recently installed along Oregon's central coast. The project began late last year when the NOAA Marine Debris Program through a collaboration with PICES (North Pacific Marine Science Organization), reached out to Surfrider here in Oregon to help identify potential sites and local partners.
Lincoln County Commissioner Terry Thompson stands with lead researcher Dr. Isobe Atsuhiko and project engineers at the camera site
After a visit by Japanese researchers in January to scope potential sites, Lincoln County rose to the top as a potential site and collaborator on the project. "The County was extremely supportive, not only helping us to identify a site but in also working through a license agreement for placing the camera on county property," says Charlie Plybon, Oregon Policy Manager. The research camera will monitor the beach on an ongoing basis, allowing researchers to collect and analyze marine debris data that's within the camera's range.
Already, Surfrider chapters have adopted marine debris transects as part of another shoreline monitoring project with NOAA, but those surveys happen just once a month. While the data from these surveys will be beneficial over a long period of time, they only give us a "snapshot" of what's on the beach each month and require extensive volunteer labor and time. With the camera, Surfrider and researchers hope to gain real-time, ongoing data, remotely without sending any volunteers into the field.
"This doesn't mean our chapters partners will not continue the great work they do through shoreline monitoring and data collection at ongoing beach cleanup events, it's just another tool in our kit to understand and prevent marine debris", continued Plybon. Dr. Isobe's team will be coming back in April to visit the site and make some upgrades to the camera and communications. During that time, Surfrider hopes to partner with the local research community for Dr. Isobe to present on some of his research and explore further partnerships. More background information on the project here.