Everyone's trash hurts someone sometime: Annex V of the MARPOL Treaty will help make the Gulf of Mexico a cleaner, safer place for you.

Abstract

Trash disposed at sea is a real problem for shrimpers and the environment. Garbage washes onto the Texas coast each year, killing marine life and sea birds and tangles commercial fishing nets. The garbage found comes from many different sources. On January 1, 1989, Annex V of the MARPOL Treaty came into force. Annex V states that marinas, fish processing facilities, small private docks, platforms and crewboats, and large international ports must have adequate reception facilities for trash, including plastics. The U.S. Coast Guard enforces this law, in an effort to help protect our oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes, and the inland waters of our country. All it will take to get rid of this trash problem is for all people to work together and not throw their trash into our precious resource.