To celebrate International Coastal Cleanup Day, volunteers from the US Embassy, Nature Trust (Malta), Malta National Aquarium, Maltaqua, and Sharklab, together with several international students, cleaned up trash at Gnejna Bay, a Natura 2000 site, on Thursday, September 24.
The volunteers collected a total of 969.5 kg of trash from the sand dunes, the seabed and surrounding area; 248.5 kg of plastic and glass together with 562.5 kg of general and bulky waste from the land and158.5 kg of trash from the sea.
Coastal trash is a serious pollution problem that affects the health of people, wildlife and local economies. This activity was organized in connection with US Secretary of State John Kerry's participation in the second Our Ocean conference in Valparaíso, Chile from 5th to 6th October. Ocean issues are a high priority on the US foreign policy agenda. The inaugural Our Ocean conference, hosted by Secretary Kerry in Washington, DC in June 2014, resulted in substantive action by the United States and many international partners on all three of its main pillars: marine pollution, ocean acidification, and sustainable fishing.
US Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change Leo Brincat, Paul Vella, Mayor of Mgarr and officials from the Malta Tourism Authority participated in the environmental project. Dr. Anthony Grupetta of Nature Trust Malta described the land and marine environment, highlighting the impact of debris on ecologically sensitive areas such as Gnejna Bay.
Commenting on the activity, Ambassador Abercrombie-Winstanley reiterated President Obama's commitment to ocean stewardship. She said, "By keeping our seas and oceans clean we can maintain a healthy and productive marine environment and marine ecosystems and thus promote economic benefits and food security through sustainable fisheries."