The Med Exposition visits the Marina Port of Majorca

Marina Port of Majorca has received an investigation team that is part of the project Exposition Med, a non-profit foundation made in 2009 to investigate the problem with plastics in the Mediterranean Sea.

During its journey through the Mediterranean the boat ‘Bonita’ made a technical stop at the marina, staying there for more than 24 hours to provision their supplies before continuing their voyage on the high seas.

The team of the boat ‘Bonita’ is formed by investigators and volunteers of many universities which have picked up waste from the different parts of the Mediterranean Sea to later on analyze its content in micro and nano plastics, providing surprising data. After analyzing more than 5000 samples, they have found an average of 150 micro-nano plastics in the sea, that evidence the magnitude of the problem.

This contamination of the sea supposes a direct threat for our marine wildlife, affecting the turtles, fish and sea birds, who swallow these fragments of plastics. Moreover, these plastics are fragmented every time more into micro and nano plastics, making it harder for its elimination, causing a major risk for marine life and for human health.

Its arrival to the marina, the team of the Med Exposition received on board the boat ‘Bonita’ to clients of the marina accompanied by the younger ones, who were interested in the samples recollected through binoculars, revealing these tiny fragments of plastic which are found at sea.

Alan D’Alfonso Peral, member of the expedition, reminds us that “the fight against marine contamination is a collective task. The marine currents play an important role in the transport of plastics through the Mediterranean. The plastic waste travels long distances pushed by the currents, and it is impressive how one can find different samples from different countries and in diverse areas of the sea. It is like the Mediterranean connects all the shores, that accumulates a scary amount of contamination”