TEXAS COAST — Plastic piggy banks, now being referred to as “sea pigs,” have been repeatedly found washed ashore along the Texas coastline during weekly beach surveys, according to field observations from coastal monitoring efforts.
During a recent survey covering 13 miles of beach, 14 plastic piggy banks were documented among accumulations of sargassum seaweed. The observer reported finding more than 60 similar items over the past year.
The piggy banks, which were found in bright colors including pink, blue, and yellow, were observed both in weathered condition and in what appeared to be unused condition, with some still sealed with plastic tabs over coin slots.
Reports of similar plastic piggy banks have also been documented across other parts of the Gulf Coast over the past year, indicating that the items are not isolated to a single location.
Preliminary observations suggest many of the recovered items were manufactured in the Dominican Republic, which has led researchers to consider a Caribbean source for the debris.
Researchers and observers said possible pathways for the objects include loss from shipping containers or entry into waterways through land-based waste disposal. Once in the Gulf of Mexico, ocean currents such as the Loop Current and its associated eddies can transport floating debris over long distances before depositing it along coastal beaches.
The items have been found mixed with seasonal sargassum deposits that frequently wash ashore along the Texas coast.
Coastal monitoring efforts will continue to track the frequency and distribution of the objects to determine whether the increase is linked to a single event or an ongoing source of marine debris.
