Fishing litter dominates the litter along the beaches of Palk Bay, Southeastern of India

In this study, we assessed the abundance, composition, source, and spatial distribution of marine litter on ten fishing beaches along Palk Bay, on the southeast coast of India. A total of 4,227 marine litter and their average density of 0.70 items/m2 were collected along the ten sites of Palk Bay, SE coast of India. Plastic (78.82%) is the most abundant in the study area, followed by cloths (7.46%), foam (5.72%), glass (5.19%), and rubber (3.47%). From the result, the value of CCI ranges from 6.26 to 25.7 indicating that the coast is "moderately clean" to "extremely dirty". The major sources of litter on the beaches are dumping (49%) and fishing activities (22%). The most common types of fishing litter are ropes, fishing lines and fishing gear, which pose a serious threat to marine life in this area. These findings could facilitate to development of better management measures in this region.本研究针对印度东南海岸保克海湾（Palk Bay）沿岸的10处捕鱼海滩，对海洋垃圾的丰度、组成、来源及空间分布展开评估。本次调查共在保克海湾10个采样点收集到4227件海洋垃圾，平均密度达0.70件/平方米。研究区域内占比最高的垃圾类型为塑料（78.82%），依次为织物（7.46%）、泡沫（5.72%）、玻璃（5.19%）与橡胶（3.47%）。研究结果显示，CCI取值介于6.26至25.7之间，表明该海岸处于"中等清洁"至"极度肮脏"的水平。海滩垃圾的主要来源为随意倾倒（49%）与渔业活动（22%），其中最常见的渔业垃圾类型为绳索、钓线及渔具，此类垃圾对该区域海洋生物构成严重威胁。本研究结果可为该区域制定更完善的海洋垃圾管理措施提供助力。