Why do a marine debris survey in the Pacific Northwest?
Miyako Island is right at the starting point for many drifting trash. Debris from Asian nations pass by Miyako Island before their long trip across the Pacific Ocean.

The "Exit Survey of Asian Marine Debris" was done in Miyako Island to research the path taken by Asian debris.
While some trash end up in the shores of Miyako Island, many still get carried on the Kuroshio (Black Current) and travel across the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of the U.S. and Canada. 
To see if marine debris really traveled that far, we did the "Survey of Arrival Situation" in Ocean Shores, WA. We searched the shores for Asian debris and found several products from three different Asian countries. This gives us reason to believe that those trash came directly through the Kurosiho (Black Current). However, it is still not certain where the debris actually started its journey