Research published in April 2017 looked at debris on several beaches, and reported "the highest density of plastic rubbish anywhere in the world" as a result of the South Pacific Gyre. The beaches contain an estimated 37.7 million items of debris. There weight is estimated at 17.6 tonnes. When a study was done on North Beach, each day 17 to 268 new items washed up on a 10-meter section of the beach. The study noted that purple hermit crabs make their homes in plastic containers washed up on beaches; the debris may reduce shoreline gastropod diversity, may contribute to a reduction in the number of sea turtle laying attempts and may increase the risk of entanglement for coastal-nesting seabirds.