2000年，在太平洋环流中央，发现近海面每有一公斤浮游生物，就有六公斤塑料。
In 2002, in the central Pacific gyre, there were found to be six kilograms (kg) of plastic for every kilogram of plankton near the surface.
5． 海洋保护协会（一个美国非政府组织）每年9月份都举行国际海岸清洁活动。
The Ocean Conservancy (a United States non-governmental organization) has been organizing every year in September International Coastal Clean-up campaigns.
2002年，100个国家的39万多志愿者参加这类活动。
In 2002, over 390,000 volunteers in 100 countries took part in these campaigns.
他们从21 000多公里的海岸线和水道清除海洋垃圾，收集了620多万件海洋垃圾，重量逾4 000吨。
They removed marine litter from more than 21,000 km of coastline and waterways, collecting more than 6.2 million pieces of marine litter, weighing over 4,000 tonnes.
在发现的沿海海洋垃圾中，近58％可归因于海滨活动和休闲活动，如海滨野餐和公众乱丢垃圾。
Almost 58 per cent of the coastal marine litter found could be attributed to shoreline and recreational activities, such as beach-picnicking and general littering.
在世界各地的许多国家，成千上万名学童、志愿者和地方当局，每年都开展大量此类活动。
Many other such clean-up operations are carried out every year by thousands of schoolchildren, volunteers and local authorities in a large number of countries in all parts of the world.
6． 在十年间（1992-2002年），在瑞典西海岸（包括数千个岛屿和小岛）大约300公里的多岩海岸上，即北海最北端，共收集了73 000万立方米海洋垃圾。
During one decade (1992-2002), over 73,000 m3 of marine litter had been gathered on some 300 km of rocky shores on the Swedish west coasts (including thousands of islands and islets), i.e. the easternmost part of the North Sea.
平均每年在这些海滨上清除的垃圾量为6 000至8 000立方米（20至26立方公里）。
The average annual amount of litter cleaned up on those beaches is 6,000 to 8,000 m3 (20-26 m3 per km).
根据北海和澳大利亚周边水域以及其他地方的数字，估计进入海洋的海洋垃圾中有多达70％最后沉到海底，剩余数量中有一半（即15％）到了海滨，其余的（另15％）则漂浮在水面。
Using figures from the North Sea and the waters around Australia, as well as from other places, it has been estimated that up to 70 per cent of the marine litter that enters the sea ends up on the seabed, whereas half of the remaining amount (i.e. 15 per cent) is found on beaches and the rest (another 15 per cent) floats on the water surface.
海洋垃圾的后果
Effects of marine litter
7． 海洋垃圾是一个环境、经济、健康和美观问题。
Marine litter is an environmental, economic, health and aesthetic problem.
它带来死亡和伤害，造成疼痛和痛苦。
It kills, injures and causes pain and suffering.
它是野生动物的邪恶杀手。
It is a vicious killer of wildlife.
缠绕和吞食是其给野生动物造成的主要和直接损害。
Entanglement and ingestion are the primary kinds of direct damage to wildlife caused by it.
海洋生命调查科学家估计，就全球而言，每年有100多万只鸟和10万只海洋哺乳动物和海龟死于塑料缠绕或吞食塑料。
Sea Life Surveys scientists estimate that globally, more than 1 million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and sea turtles die each year from entanglement in, or ingestion of, plastics.
海洋垃圾给海洋和沿海生态系统造成的其他威胁包括，海底被覆盖，生境因机械清理海滩而受到扰乱。
Other threats to the marine and coastal ecosystems from marine litter include smothering of the seabed and disturbance of habitats from mechanical beach cleaning.
塑料垃圾日益被认为是持久性有毒物质的一个来源。
Plastic litter is increasingly believed to be a source of persistent toxic substances.
海洋垃圾还可能在两个海洋之间输送外来物种。
Pieces of marine litter can also transport invasive species between seas.
医疗和卫生废物构成健康危险，可能对人造成严重损害。
Medical and sanitary waste constitutes a health hazard and can seriously injure people.
海洋垃圾每年都给世界各地的人民和社区带来重大的经济代价和损失。
Every year, marine litter entails great economic costs and losses to people and communities around the world.
它使海洋和沿海区的美丽景色遭到毁损、污染和破坏。
It spoils, fouls and destroys the beauty of the sea and the coastal zone.
8． 海洋垃圾给人民、财产和生计造成的损害可归为几大类。
Damage to people, property and livelihoods caused by marine litter can be grouped into a number of general categories.
这些损害包括损害渔业、渔船和渔具，影响电站所取冷缺水，污染海滨（需要清洁作业），污染商业港口和游艇停泊港（需要清洁作业）以及以及污染沿海放牧地，对牲畜造成损害。
These include damage to fisheries, fishing boats and gear, damage to cooling water intakes in power stations, contamination of beaches (requiring cleaning operations), contamination of commercial harbours and marinas (demanding cleaning operations) and contamination of coastal grazing land, causing injury to livestock.
已有关于推进器被缠住、取水泵被堵塞和传动轴被损坏的报道。
Problems with propeller fouling, blocked intake pipes and damaged drive shafts have been reported.