Mystery Beach Trash
14 May 2011 | Barbuda
Devi
Here it is a photo of the mystery beach trash from Barbuda. This plastic object is about 12 inches long and about 6 inches in diameter. It is round except for a flat side with a large hole in the top and only a small hole about ½" in diameter in the bottom. We have seen these on many beaches in the Caribbean and we were stumped.
I contacted Dr Curt Ebbesmeyer an expert on sea currents, sea eddies and the fate of ocean trash. He is also the co-author of FLOTSAMETRICS AND THE FLOATING WORLD: How One Man's Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science. At first I was very dubious about Dr. Ebbesmeyer's suggestion that the mystery trash is an octopus trap, but some surfing on the internet confirmed that indeed this is an octopus trap that can be bought for $1.62 (USD).