Assessing plastic pollution on coral communities at four underwater pinnacles in the Gulf of Thailand

Coral reefs and other marine and coastal ecosystems are widely recognized to be seriously threatened by plastic pollution as an emerging issue. Coral is stressed by plastic waste through anoxia, light deprivation, physical damage, toxin release, and increasing disease transmission. Marine plastics impact marine ecological services and biodiversity which are essential to the blue economy. The economic effects of marine plastic pollution on tourists, fisheries, and aquaculture, as well as additional costs like cleanups. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of plastic pollution in coral communities at four underwater pinnacles, i.e., Hin Poom, Hin Chen Thale, Hin Chumphon, and Hin Wong in the Western Gulf of Thailand. SCUBA divers surveyed the study sites to record human-generated objects, including plastics, in the belt transects. Our results show different amounts of plastic items among the study sites. Plastic pollution found at Hin Poom and Hin Chen Thale (7–15 m in depth) was significantly higher than that at Hin Chumphon and Hin Wong (10–29 m in depth). The majority of plastic items were abandoned fishing nets, fishing lines, fish traps, glass bottles, and plastic bags. Hin Chumphon and Hin Wong are important dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand. Dive shops, conservation groups, and tourists participate in marine debris collection activities at the dive sites. The government agencies, private sectors, and local communities have to work in collaboration to minimize the impacts of plastic pollution at Hin Poom and Hin Chen Thale, as well as other unprotected underwater pinnacles in the Gulf of Thailand.