Plastic and rubber litter found in remote submarine canyon off Argentina’s coast

A study of the Mar Del Plata Submarine Canyon off Argentina, conducted via remotely operated vehicle across 17 dives, catalogued 29 pieces of litter scattered across the seafloor, according to researchers led by marine biologist Diego Urteaga. The debris included fishing gear, plastic bags, wrappers, a plastic cup, and a rubber boot, with one tissue-paper wrapper found at 3,814 meters down.

The survey was originally meant to document biodiversity, but researchers said the litter became impossible to ignore once cameras started rolling. Marine organisms had already begun colonizing some of the trash, including a sea star camped on a plastic bag and a fishing rope covered in growth.

Researchers suspect most of the debris came from offshore fishing activity rather than land-based runoff, given the canyon's distance from shore and the prevalence of fishing-related materials. The study's authors say preventing gear loss and improving disposal practices at sea could help, though no policy changes were proposed or announced.

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