Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When was this survey conducted?

 

A. The survey was conducted in 2012 from July-August.

 

Q. Did you find debris in only a few areas of the coast? Or was it spread over a wide area?

 

A. We found large amounts of debris spread out all along the coastline of Alaska. There was no part of the coastline where we did not find debris. This MAP gives a overview of how widespread the problem is.

 

Q. How do you know if what you saw is from Japan or not?

 

A. Several different types of floats have been positivly identified as being from Japan. There are Black Oyster buoys, White Foam Buoys, and we have also been able to identify Japanese writing on some objects.

 

Q. Where did you see the highest concentration of debris?

 

A. Kayak Island had the largest continuious amount of debris that we saw. In our rating scale of 1-5, 1 being the least amount of debris and 5 being the most, Kayak Island was mostly all fives.

 

Q. Will there be any follow up next year?

 

A. We are currently working with the State of Alaska to try and make that a reality. We are concerned about our coastline and want to do everything we can to see the damage from the debris mitigated as much as possible.