Collection Report May 16, 2012

Wednesday, May 16. 1:15PM. 2 hrs before low tide. 60 degrees, a gray day in a wet week.

The huge cusps were still there -- leftover from the washed-in sandbar. The steep foreshore & weak tides meant no new wrack. But there was one sign of life:

Have fun stormin' the castle!

Kids & families slowly returning to the beach. A reminder that Memorial Day was just around the corner. Despite the chill and gloom in the air.

So, Zone N:

31 finds:

• Building materials: 2 (asphalt, concrete)
• Foam/Styrofoam: 12
• Fishing misc.: 2 (rope knots)
• Food-related plastics: 2 (food wrapper corner, straw)
• Food-related metal/glass: 1 (foil)
• Nonfood/unknown plastics: 6 (plastic bag, packaging, 1 scrap >1", 3 scraps <1")
• Cigarette filters/plastics: 5
• Paper/wood: 1 (churn handle?)
• Misc./unique: 0

The styrofoam covered a little bit of everything. From coolers to cups, local to wash-in. And that churn... thing was... weird.

Over to Zone S:

17 finds:

• Building materials: 1 (wood block with nail in it)
• Foam/Styrofoam: 10
• Fishing misc.: 2 (shotgun shells)
• Food-related plastics: 0
• Food-related metal/glass: 0
• Nonfood/unknown plastics: 3 (pen, webbing, elastic armband)
• Cigarette filters/plastics: 1
• Paper/wood: 0
• Misc./unique: 0

More of the same styrofoam mix. The shotgun shells? They're always washing up. Nobody can confirm a connection between shotguns and fishing, but it's a remarkable amount of shells & shell wadding for it all to be swept downstream from hunting grounds upriver. Another mystery of the deep.