Mazatlan students take out garbage from beaches and the sea

1218

About 100 kilos of garbage was the result of the first ecological dive of the current school year.

By land and water, students from the Faculty of Marine Sciences of the UAS were removing plastic bags, disposable cutlery, packaging, tires and face masks, those that since 2020 have been added to the marine garbage that pollutes the seas.

This Friday morning, about 60 students who returned to face-to-face classes in the current context of the pandemic, carried out a cleaning day from Pinitos beach to the Monument to the Fisherman. Some lifted the debris from the sand and others free-dived to remove the debris from the water, which was carried on top of an inflatable boat.

About 100 kilos of garbage was the result of the first ecological dive of the current school year.

The marine litter was transferred in an inflatable boat. Photo: Mary Vizcarra.

This is the fourth year that students, directors, and teachers of the Fisheries Biology, Aquaculture Biology and Coastal Management careers meet in front of the sea to carry out this integrating activity that seeks to promote beach care among the academic community, reported Efraín López Quintana, swimming professor at the Faculty of Marine Sciences (Faciso) of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS).

The teacher, in charge of organizing the aquatic cleaning days, said that in the last two years the masks have been one of the persistent debris in the intertidal zone that is inhabited by a great diversity of marine fauna.

“This is the second time that we have taken out face masks and what I saw that we took out were plastic spoons and forks,” he mentioned.

Plastics, masks, disposable items, among other waste, were removed in sacks from the water. Photos: Mary Vizcarra.

Volunteer divers such as Ignacio Zatarain, known for his volunteer work in cleaning up the coastal area, also joined the activity.

The rocky area of ​​the North and Pinitos beaches has marine life that escapes the sight of people, as fish and crustacean larvae take refuge and feed on it, which swim out to sea when they grow. In previous aquatic cleaning days, everything from plastics to electrical appliances have been extracted from that place, where artisanal fishing is also practiced .

Source: sonplayas.com

The Mazatlan Post