Young oyster shells are attached to the surface of a floating deck made of styrofoam and began developing colonies, which contain nooks and crannies.
This magnified dynamic image looks like an expanse of glacier ice and glacial erosion.
This floating deck may have been used at oyster cultivation farms in Japan.

Partition line of each compartments are protective outer covering of Polyzoa. Median size of each compartment is 0.3mm x 0.8mm.
Photo taken with a polarization filter set to deliver clear image.

Bushy colony of Hydrozoa growing on the surface of plastic marine debris.

34 Goose Barnacles, Lepas anatifera found in a PET bottle cap at the beach of Ocean shores on Feb. 18, 2016.

Lepas anatifera, commonly known as the pelagic gooseneck barnacle or smooth gooseneck barnacle (although they resemble bivalve molluscs, barnacles are actually filter-feeding crustaceans, related to crabs, shrimp, and lobster: Ref. Fishery Bulletin, NOAA) attached to a drifting plastic marine debris.


Samples were collected from the beach of Ocean Shores on Feb. 18, 2016.

On February 18, 2016, we went to Ocean Shores for another marine debris research survey.
However, weather wasn't very cooperative this day and the high winter tides washed off our whole potential research site.
View research results

What if ........?
Small beaches of small islands were covered with plastic debris.
http://www.islands4kids.org/re-imagining.html
http://www.islands4kids.org/marine-debris.html
(This picture is a composite image for educational video.)

"Reimagining" is an on-the-spot recycling system that transforms marine debris into other useful resources for those living on distant islands or in remote areas.
This streamlined and low-cost technology will assist people in areas where advanced recycling industries on the mainland do not provide assistance.
"Reimagining" may not be a permanent solution, but it will be a vital interim approach of marine debris treatment in distant places to improve disposal capabilities.
Another advantage of remade products is that marine debris will become traceable garbage that can be recovered promptly when better disposal procedures are devised.