The eighth year of surveys of beach man-made debris at Bird Island, South Georgia revealed a total of 430 items, 49 percent more than the total of 289 items in 1996/97. The increase of the winter (April -September) total was 10 percent, from 109 items in 1996/97 to 120 items in 1997/98 both of which were considerably less than the winter totals for the previous 5 years of collections. The number of items collected in the summer was 310, an increase of 72 percent from the 1996/97 total of 180. Nylon line, identical to that attached to longline gear, accounted for 88 percent of items, nearly all of which clearly came from fishing vessels. The lower levels of debris collected in the winter months is a good sign that increased monitoring in the South Georgia longline fishery may have reduced the amount of man-made debris originating from these vessels. The increased totals of summer debris is cause for concern and suggests that CCAMLR needs to enhance its campaign to reduce the amount of man-made debris being jettisoned into the Southern Ocean.

The seventh year of surveys of beached man-made debris at Bird Island, South Georgia revealed a total of 289 items, 60 % less than in the two previous years. Of the total number of items, 62 % (n = 180) were collected during the summer, only the second year on record when then summer collection exceeded the winter. Nylon line, identical to that used in longline gear, accounted for 57 % of items, nearly all of which clearly originated from fishing vessels. Despite the CCAMLR ban on the use of packaging bands being in force since 1994/95 their occurrence in debris surveys indicates their continued use. The reduction in man-made debris compared to the two previous years may reflect a reduction in illegal long-line fishing activity around South Georgia. Such a relationship between the type and magnitude of marine debris and levels of local fishing operations highlights the requirement for continued monitoring and the need for further steps to counteract the jettisoning of man-made debris in the Southern Ocean.