Marine Debris Law and Legal Definition
Marine debris means any man-made object discarded, disposed of, or abandoned that enters the coastal or marine environment. It is also known as marine litter. Such human-created waste may enter directly from a ship, or indirectly when washed out to sea via rivers, streams and storm drains.
Marine debris adversely impacts marine life by the destruction of essential habitat, entanglement, ghost fishing, and ingestion. It also poses a threat to human health and safety. Huge amounts are spent for cleaning the marine debris.
Many laws have been enacted to prohibit the disposal of wastes into the sea. The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act is an example of such a legislation.
The following is an example of a federal regulation defining ‘marine debris ’ for the purposes of the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act:
5 CFR 909.1. Definition of marine debris for the purposes of the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act.
(a) Marine debris. For the purposes of the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (33 U.S.C. 1951- 1958 (2006)) only, marine debris is defined as any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes.
Legal Definition list
Related Legal Terms
- Antarctic Marine Living Resource Convention Act of 1984
- Antarctic Marine Living Resources
- California Debris Commission
- Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
- Debris Management Team
- Explosive Debris [Aeronautics and Space]
- Fleet Marine Force [FMF]
- Headquarters Marine Corp [HQMC] [Military Law]
- Individual Directly Involved In a Serious Marine Incident
- Investigating Officer [Marine Casualties and Investigations]
