Coastbuster
Beach keepers and coastal safety officers need your help!
You can help keep our West Coast clean and safe by reporting marine debris via Coastbuster for iPhone and Android. Use this app to report large, unusual and potentially hazardous marine debris—especially items that may have been swept into the sea by Japan’s devastating March 2011 tsunami. Simply photograph the debris you find, enter some descriptions, and upload to Ocean Networks Canada. We will forward your reports to authorities. We’ll also upload your photos to Flickr, where you can browse, share and comment on the full collection of marine debris snapshots. The information and photos you share may also help scientists better understand how winds and currents carry marine debris across the oceans.
Where your reports go
The photos and information you provide are sent to Ocean Networks Canada staff members who review them and post them to the Coastbuster photostream on Flickr. Debris that are unusual, potentially hazardous or possibly linked to Japan's tsunami are also reported to NOAA's Marine Debris Program and the BC Ministry of Environment.
Your contributions remain anonymous
Location Services on your handheld device must be turned on for Coastbuster in your settings before you take a photo. The GPS position is required so that all photos have a geo-location attached to them. The uploaded data contain no personal information from your device. All data we store are completely anonymous.
How to get Coastbuster
Android app on Google Play Coastbuster is available for Android.
You can download it from Google Play.
Apple app store Coastbuster is also available for iPhone.
You can download it from the Apple App Store.
What if I don't have a smartphone?
You can still submit photos of debris you find on the beach and elsewhere. Just send your digital photo to info@oceannetworks.ca along with a list of descriptive information.
Shore clean-up
Help protect our coast by joining a clean-up! Participate in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup and the Surfrider Foundation. If you are on Vancouver Island, check out Surfrider Foundation Vancouver Island.
More information
- Joint Tsunami Marine Debris Joint Information Center
- What to do if you find tsunami debris
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada: Science Response to Tsunami Debris
- Confirmed Sightings of Japanese Tsunami Debris
- How to Identify Japanese Gas Cylinder Contents
- FAQs About Tsunami Debris
- How to Identify Japanese Vessels and Owners
Tsunami Debris in the News
- Fifth Estate: Second Wave - documentary about debris from Japan's great tsunami
- CNN segments on Tsunami Debris