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Marine Debris

18,000 pieces of plastic are estimated to float in every square kilometre of ocean.

633 species worldwide including 77 Australian species are impacted by marine debris.

Over 75% of what is removed from our beaches is made of plastic.

Tangaroa Blue Foundation is an Australian-wide not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine debris, one of the major environmental issues worldwide. But if all we do is clean-up, that is all we will ever do.

To successfully solve the problem, the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) was created, an on-ground network of volunteers, communities and organisations that contribute data from rubbish collected during beach and river clean-up events to the AMDI Database, and then work on solutions to stop the flow of litter at the source. The AMDI helps communities look after their coastal environment by providing resources and support programs, and collaborates with industry and government to create change on a large scale.

In Maori and Polynesian mythology, Tangaroa is the god of the ocean. Tangaroa made laws to protect the ocean and its sea creatures "Tiaki mai i ahau, maku ano koe e tiaki"... If you look after me, then I will look after you..." When, after a week-long clean-up event, the whales and dolphins come close to our beach and slap their flippers, we sometimes wonder if it is Tangaroa saying "thank you".

New version of the AMDI Database

DB1 With the support of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority through Reef Trust, Tangaroa Blue has been working behind the scenes to update the Australian Marine Debris Database, and will be bringing the new version online later this week. From Tuesday 20th June to Thursday 29th June you will not be able to access the AMDI Database as we bring the new version online.

We apologies for any inconvenience caused, and will have the new AMDI Database online as soon as possilble.

You will need to register as a new user when you first access the new version of the AMDI Database. Below are some of the changes and some suggestions on preparing to use the new version.

Blown Away at Captain Billy's

CBL EH9 Roaring South Westerlies, exfoliating sand dunes, tent dramas, shower deprivation and crocodile proximity, could not decrease the enthusiasm of a truly international group of volunteers, at a five day beach clean-up, held recently at Captain Billy's Landing, on eastern Cape York Peninsula.

Participants from Tasmania, tropical North Queensland, Holland and Switzerland, joined Tangaroa Blue founder Heidi, partner extraordinaire Matt, NPARC / Apudthama Indigenous Rangers and Traditional Owners, in the removal of almost 2 tonnes of rubbish, from 10km of beach along this wild and beautiful coastal location.

We are Waterbourne Tour!

Tangaroa Blue teamed up with In Hearts Wake for their We Are Waterbourne clean-up series to help launch their new album Ark!

The band joined Tangaroa Blue crew members and fans at four clean-up events starting at St Kilda Beach in Melbourne, then heading onto Bondi Beach in Sydney, Captain Burke Park in Brisbane and finishing up in their home town of Byron Bay for a clean-up on Main Beach.

5th Annual Archer Point Clean-up

YBM In a great display of community spirit, Yuku Baja Muliku recently joined forces with environmental marine charity Tangaroa Blue for the 5th annual Archer Point beach clean-up.

More than 40 volunteers, many of them Yuku Baja Muliku junior rangers and Cooktown locals, scoured the coastline for eight hours, picking up a vast array of marine debris before painstakingly categorising, counting and logging each item.

This tremendous effort is reinforced by some alarming numbers, with Tangaroa Blue data reporting that the day’s efforts netted approximately fourteen and a half thousand pieces of collected rubbish, including 2300 bottle caps and a staggering 900 rubber thongs.

All up, more than 500 kilograms of trash was removed from Archer Point beach.