The Washington-based Ocean Conservancy earlier this year released its annual report on trash in the ocean with new data from its 2007 International Coastal Cleanup Project.  Their findings?  Seashore trash is hurting the world!

Beach trash is clogging shorelines and killing birds, animals and fish.

According to the report “more than 378,000 volunteers participated in cleanups around every major body of water around the globe. Volunteers record the trash found on land and underwater allowing us a global snapshot of the problem.”

They estimate that trash in the ocean “kills more than one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles each year through ingestion and entanglement. In the latest cleanup “81 birds, 63 fish, 49 invertebrates, 30 mammals 11 reptiles and one amphibian were found entangled in debris by volunteers. Some of the debris they were entangled or had ingested include plastic bags, fishing line, fishing nets, six-pack holders, string from a balloon or kite, glass bottles and cans.”

The top ten debris items collected? The hit list includes:

* Cigarettes/cigarette filters
* Food wrappers/containers
* Caps/lids
* Bags
* Plastic beverage bottles
* Cups/plates/forks/knives/spoons
* Glass beverage bottles
* Cigar tips
* Straws/stirrers
* Beverage cans