Have you seen this ‘trash?’

To the Editor:

I recently returned from a wonderful week on the island, a tradition celebrated with my wife and her family for the past 35 years. Each year we spend many hours on the magnificent beaches and hiking around the coast. In the last several years we’ve also taken time to collect marine debris — water bottles, food wrappers, plastic straws, knots and net pieces and other remnants of fishing gear, plastic film, and a remarkable number of balloons - sort what is recyclable and dispose of the remainder in the trash. Rope and balloon strings pose a threat of entanglement to marine and bird life, and are also mistaken for food sources, often causing irreparable harm and death.

This year we noticed a new type of debris, various lengths of shock tubing thin, plastic and usually yellow, the diameter is similar to that of a drink stir but they are solid. We believe this debris has arrived on Block Island’s shores from an Army Corps of Engineers blasting project in Boston Harbor. From Mansion Beach to the North Point, we collected 17 pieces.

It is hard to imagine the distance traveled, but this is surely a testament to the resiliency of plastic in our oceans.

The Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown has begun to collect the data on this debris to alert the Army Corps of Engineers. Many citizens on the Cape and Islands are using the app on their smartphones to report findings that are then uploaded to the database. If you see pieces of shock tubing on Block Island, please upload the Center for Coastal Studies app, labeled “Explosive Shock Tube Data

Collection,” on Anecdata.org. The plastic tubes were used in underwater blasting, but are not themselves explosive.

Please also know that many Block Island locals have been cleaning the beaches for many years. The Nature Conservancy, BI Conservancy, the amazing folks at the Transfer Station, and many year-round individuals are dedicated stewards to this effort. Together we all make a difference!

Thank you in advance for participating in the collection of this important data.

Horatio Potter, Volunteer Marine Debris Program Center for Coastal Studies Provincetown, Mass.