Saving Sea Turtles
Plastic fisheries: solution to save our seas
When on holiday, we swim in what we believe are crystal clear waters. However, this is far from the truth. In reality our seas are littered with rubbish, the majority being plastic. In some areas plastic outweighs the amount of plankton by a ratio of 6:1. This is not good news for species which live in or feed at sea.
Globally 267 species are affected, including 44% of seabirds, 43% of marine mammals and 86% of sea turtles (accounting for 8 of the 9 species). Approximately 1,000,000 birds, 100,000 marine mammals and 100,000 turtles die each year due to entanglement and/or ingestion of plastics. Most people believe that plastic floats, however over time it sinks and plastic bags have been seen at thousands of metres deep by submarine pilots. Plastic also accumulate pollutants and can bioacumulate up the food chain, and into the fish we eat. Yuck, that can’t be good.
Since the success of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight, the EU has announced it will ban fish discards. Following this programme over 670,000 people signed an online petition to ban this wasteful practice, where tons of edible fish are dumped back into the sea dead. This has caused fishermen to loose money, as it’s literally going down the drain for them. A new solution which is being considered is to pay fishermen to catch plastic instead. This novel idea would provide them with an alternative source of income, while also cleaning up our seas
A new film Plastic Oceans is being made featuring Sir David Attenborough to highlight the risk of plastic to marine species. Many blue whales recently sighted and monitored recently have been found extremely under weight. No these species are not dieting. This “skinny whale syndrome” is occurring as whales are eating plastic mistaking it for food, which makes them feel full.
The environmental consequences of marine plastic pollution have been ignored for a long time and their damaging effects are only now being addressed and targeted due to increased information. But in order for things to further improve we need to use less plastic and recycle more.If we don’t act now an increasing number of the oceans stunning animals will choke to death. It’s all down to us.
About the Author
Agatha Ioannou recently completed a MSc in Marine Ecology and Environmental Management from Queen Mary, University of London. She now works for Frontier at the London HQ. You can find out more about volunteer abroad opportunities and marine conservation on the Frontier website.
Science: Saving Sea Turtles, One Nest at a Time – nytimes.com/video
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