Investigating Sources of Marine Litter and Developing Coping Strategies in Scuba Diving Spots in Taiwan

Ping-I Lin, Gordon Chih-Ming Ku, Hsiao-Hsien Lin, Chin-Hsien Hsu, Hung-Chih Chi and Yi-Ching Chen
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Ping-I Lin: Department of Recreation and Sport Management, Shu-Te University, Kaohsiung 824, Taiwan
Gordon Chih-Ming Ku: Department of Sport Management, National Taiwan University of Sport, Taichung 404, Taiwan
Hsiao-Hsien Lin: School of Physical Education, Jiaying University, Meizhou 514015, China
Chin-Hsien Hsu: Department of Leisure Industry Management, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, Taichung 411, Taiwan
Hung-Chih Chi: Department of Environmental Engineering, Da-Yeh University, Changhua 515, Taiwan
Yi-Ching Chen: Department of Environmental Engineering, Da-Yeh University, Changhua 515, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-16

Abstract: Marine debris and floating marine debris issues have recently become a matter of great concern. The present study selected Kenting National Park and Northeast Cape and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area as the survey areas, where most of the popular scuba diving spots in Taiwan are located, to identify the volume, types, and sources of marine litter. The findings could be regarded as the foundation for future study and the suggestions for managerial strategies. The visual and line transect methods were used to conduct fourteen investigations of marine litter in four scuba diving spots from June 2020 to November 2020. Descriptive analysis and the chi-square test were used to analyze the volume, types, and sources of marine litter, as well as the different distributions under diverse locations, terrains, season, and tides. The results indicate that 2841 pieces of marine litter are identified, including 1786 (63%) plastic containers, 312 (11%) plastic bags, 254 (9%) disposable tableware for take-out beverages, 285 (10%) other materials, 72 (2%) cigarette butts, and 30 (1%) fishery and recreational fishing pieces. Different seasons, locations, and tides cause a significantly different marine litter distribution among these areas. The findings are expected to promote source reduction, develop shore and underwater cleaning proposals, and enhance marine protection education.

Keywords: scuba diving; marine litter; underwater line transect; visual method; action research; sustainable marine environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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