Beach Clean

A dull overcast day down at Broughty Ferry Beach. It is nice to walk on it but I guess we take it for granted that it is clean. However, today we saw why it was clean - a tractor had been scooping up all the debris which had been washed up on the shore. This included a huge branch of a tree. As you can see, the trailer is full. By the way, although it looks like a large block of concrete is being dropped into the trailer, it is actually Broughty Ferry Castle, which is rather hidden.

This led me to think where it all came from, and how far it had travelled? What did Flotsam and Jetsam mean and what is the difference? A little bit of research produced this table:

Flotsam
Definition: Items or goods found floating on water
and need not be deliberately thrown in.
Status: Property of original owner.
Examples: Goods lost at sea after a shipwreck or accident.
Uses: Study ocean currents.

Jetsam
Definition: Items that are voluntarily cast into the sea.
Status: Property of finder.
Examples: Goods thrown overboard by a vessel in distress.
Uses: Increase biodiversity.

So, the next time I am walking along the beach I will try not to take its cleanliness for granted and remind myself of the work done to make it that way. If I do find anything, I might have a better idea whether it is Flotsam or Jetsam.