It’s been an ‘elastic tide’ on the province’s beaches.
Scotian Shores volunteers have picked up over 60,000 lobster bands in cleanups since January 1.
They say many are found near industrial zones, pointing towards outflow at processing plants
Project manager Angela Riley says the bands can last 10-15 years in the ocean.
“They don’t truly biodegrade, they break down into microplastic and rubber that animals eat. We are finding them on the shoreline like crazy,” said Riley.
Riley is calling on all lobster plants to install more effective filtration systems at outflow pipes.
She says they can be deadly to sea turtles, birds and fish.
“We want to see change, and the way to do that is to put all of our efforts together. That’s why we’ve seen such a big cleanup of these lobster bands, but we know there are many more.”
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