Sea Shepherd & Tangalooma Join Forces

Mon, 20 Jan 2020

By Tangalooma Island Resort

sea shepherd and tangalooma join forces in a beach clean-up

As many people know, litter and pollution are becoming more of an issue around the world and with Moreton Bay such an important migratory hot spot for many sea birds as well as a turtle nesting ground, it is essential that the beaches are kept extra clean for all the creatures that visit or reside at Moreton Island. As you wander along the beaches of Moreton, you can frequently spot dugongs and dolphins close to shore and during the whale season, humpbacks passing by with their calves.

So it was with great excitement that Tangalooma Island Resort recently welcomed back the Sea Shepherd team who arrived with one thing in mind; a beach clean-up!

Alongside volunteers from the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Gold Coast, the Sea Shepherd team enlisted some recruits from Tangalooma to help with the Clean-Up as part of their Marine Debris Campaign. Over 50 people, including management, staff and holidaying guests willingly volunteered for this great initiative to help clean up the rubbish which both washes up or is abandoned on the Moreton Island beaches.


Sea Shepherd is an international not-for-profit marine wildlife conservation organisation. Their mission is to end the destruction of habitat in the World’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. Sea Shepherd have a long-standing relationship with the Eco Centre at Tangalooma as both work towards minimising marine debris in the ocean and on the beaches.

After all the volunteers 'slipped, slopped and slapped', they were ready to head out onto the beach for the clean-up. Volunteers were provided collection bags and set out across the beach area between the Tangalooma Shipwrecks and Tangalooma Point in the south. They all carefully looked high and low to ensure nothing was left behind as they searched every inch of beach.  

The clean-up lasted over an hour and the team collected 45kg of rubbish. The majority of the rubbish found by volunteers was tucked in behind the dunes. Rubbish consisted of crab pots, fishing line, cigarette butts, straws and microplastics.

The amount of microplastics in the environment is continually increasing. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that are less than 5mm, some of these are invisible to the eye. Even at beautiful Tangalooma, we are noticing an increase in microplastic pollution. With such a diverse range of marine life that occupy Moreton Bay, we need to take steps to reduce our pollution and our plastic usage.

It was wonderful to see the Tangalooma community come together to support Sea Shepherd and their efforts to rid the ocean of our human induced pollution. It is definitely a step in the right direction to conserve our treasured coastlines and oceans.

It is easy for you to get involved in your own beach clean-up. Next time you head to the beach and decide to take a stroll with friends and family, be sure to be on the lookout for any rubbish that doesn’t belong there. Please pick it up and dispose of it in the appropriate bin. Together we can all make a difference.

To find local events and information on how you can get involved, go to the the Sea Shepherd Australia Marine Debris facebook page here. 

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Tangalooma Island Resort

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