Pollution by marine macrolitter in the Hong Sound bar, Bluefields Southern Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua

Abstract

Marine debris pollution is a growing problem, linked to population growth and consumption of packaged products and poor waste management, threatening biodiversity and environmental services in coastal ecosystems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the state of marine debris contamination on the beach of the Hong Sound bar of the Bluefields lagoon, South Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. The research is a descriptive cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, using convenience sampling. On July 21, 2022, sampling was carried out on 1025 m² of beach, the marine trash collected was classified according to physical characteristics into: plastics (plastic bottles, plastic bags, poroplast and hard plastics), rubber, glass, cloth, processed wood and metal, later they were weighed using a watch scale with average unit in kilograms. A total of 18,058 kg of marine debris was recorded, with a density of 0.0176 kg/m², mostly plastic, weighing 13,191 kg, occupying 73.1% of all debris. The types of garbage found were plastic, glass and rubber, which are dragged by the wind, currents or people visiting the beach, this dispersion is caused by poor solid waste management in human settlements. In the study area, the greatest contamination is caused by plastics, and it is necessary to develop strategies to reduce beach pollution by plastics.