Mile 255 - Kiwanda Beach - April 17, 2022 | Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition

Report Details

Infestation of crab parts in one stretch of beach. More than usual number of whole dead crabs most of the mile. The amount of trash was less than minimal: one small piece of styrofoam, one small piece of a broken bottle, one piece of what appeared to be fishing line, one piece of bottle-top plastic, and several small pieces of plastic. I removed all of it.I walked this beach about 10 days ago, and again at the northern-most boundary of what is known as North Neskowin, the water contained what I would call "red algae." It was a stretch of the water about 100 yards wide and very noticeable.

Conditions

Temperature: 40 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Wind Direction: S.

Human Activities

Number of people: 9. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 7. Sitting: 2.

Vehicles

Cars/trucks parking: 1.

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

Unusual concentration. At the northern-most end of what is known as North Neskowin, there was a section of beach about 25 feet wide near the water line which contained a massive amount of crab parts. It was what I would call an infestation, and it made me think of perhaps a crab boat dumping something in the water that ended up on the beach. I have walked this particular beach regularly for two years, and I have never seen anything like this. In addition, there were more whole dead crabs on my entire mile than I've ever noticed in the past.

Driftline Content

Wood pieces, Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea), Styrofoam, Ocean-based debris (from fishing boats, ship trash, etc.).

Man-made Modifications

Dune modification/removal. People continue to create new access points to the beach from the dunes.