Three perspectives on protecting the sea from some of the ways in which humans can pollute it.

Orkney’s Marine Environmental Unit has the task of monitoring the biology of Scapa Flow to protect it against pollution. Its Team Manager Dr Jenni Kakkonen describes their current work, looking at sandy shore species, and non-native species too.

John Berry of the Scottish Islands Federation reports on the Greener Orkney analysis of marine litter in the North Isles. Through 76 surveys and drone monitoring, the team identified key hotspots. Much of the debris is fishing gear, more so than on mainland beaches, he says, with plastic forming over 99%. “Volunteers have achieved remarkable clean-up progress over the past two years.”

And what to do with waste plastic is a challenge being tackled by researcher Joel Chaney of Heriot-Watt University and Tern360, with Dr Katharina Vones of London’s Royal College of Art. They use tabletop-size equipment to transform ocean plastic into 3D printer filament. They are working with Orkney furniture maker Kevin Gauld to make an Orkney chair from recycled ocean plastic.

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