This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Vast quantities of plastic and fishing gear are washing up along the shores of the Seychelles, destroying fragile ecosystems and causing significant economic problems. Aldabra Atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in this archipelago nation of 115 islands, is estimated to have accumulated more than 500 tons of plastic on its shores alone.
Most of this plastic debris continues to pile up along its beaches today. It was estimated that removing it would cost approximately US$4.68 million (£3.46 million) and would require 18,000 hours of labor. Small island developing states are particularly vulnerable to plastic debris on their beaches.
It can damage tourism and fishing in these coastal communities, which are essential to their economies. Cleanup costs can be prohibitive. Fish and other marine life can also be killed by becoming entangled in or ingesting plastic debris.
It is impossible to tackle this growing problem without knowing where this pollution is coming from and who is responsible. We investigated this in our recent study using computer simulations and observations, focusing on pollution in the western Indian Ocean from fisheries and shipping. We found that most pollution probably comes from vessels in or near the Seychelles' own waters.
This challenges the assumption from previous work that island plastic mainly drifts in from distant shores. We know fishing vessels lose nets and gear, and shipping vessels illegally discard plastic and other items. But to work out which vessels are responsible and where their debris ends up, we needed to know which ships and fishing boats operate near the Seychelles.
To do this, we used satellite tracking data from fishing and shipping vessels over five years, from 2018 to 2022, to estimate activity across the region. Using this map, we simulated the drift of billions of virtual pollution fragments and followed where they ended up. From this, we built a map showing how likely a given vessel location is to pose a risk to the Seychelles' islands.
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