Thousands of volunteers gathered at more than 80 New Jersey beaches and waterways Saturday, April 13, to take part in Clean Ocean Action’s 39th Spring Beach Sweeps. Here on Long Beach Island, and elsewhere throughout the state, ocean advocates braved brisk winds and light rain to pick up trash and collect data that will be presented in annual reports used to advance federal, state and local programs to reduce litter.

As it does each year, nonprofit Alliance for a Living Ocean organized the LBI area cleanup effort, which had close to…