Mile 328 - Sunset Beach, Clatsop Plains - 04/12/2024 | Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition

Report Details

An evening walk at lower tide on mile 328 with sunny skies and moderate wind from the west. Few humans present and low vehicle traffic. I observed an adult bald eagle on a wooden post. I documented and collected approximately 15 bs of marine debris, including single-use plastics, plastic bottles, shotgun shell wads from waterfowl hunters, hard plastic fragments, and styrofoam. Other finds included opened mussels near stick, a bejeweled sandal, and one light blue plastic aquaculture tube. Two plastic bottles from the marine debris had labels in Japanese! The most notable find was a recently deceased California sea lion with markings on its back that read X 50.

Conditions

Temperature: 57 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Tide Level: 3.0 feet.

Human Activities

Number of people: 12. Number of dogs: 6. Walking or running: 9. Sitting: 3.

Concerns

Litter

Vehicles

Cars/trucks on beach, allowed: 10.

Notable Wildlife

One adult bald eagle perched on a wooden post near this mile.

Beached Birds

Total dead birds: 1. Common Murre

Stranded Marine Mammals

Total stranded mammals: 1. Deceased California sea lion with X50 lettering on its back.

Driftline Content

Shells, Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Marine debris (plastic, styrofoam, etc. washing in from the sea). Wrack line marine debris included 6 shotgun wads (plastic pieces inside a shotgun shell that separates the shot from the powder), 13 plastic bottles, aluminum cans, whisky bottles, single use plastic cups, a toy football, chunks of styrofoam, bottle caps, synthetic plastic fishing rope (orange, teal blue, and gray), plastic bottle lids, and hard plastic fragments. Notable debris included finding two plastic bottles in labels in Japanese, one of which was a milk tea drink bottle.