I always knew that marine debris was a problem, plastics in particular, but I never realized how big a deal it was. It seems that everything I am about to share with you was brushed under the carpet with little or no media attention. It doesn’t really occur to people (myself included until today!) that plastic debris can be anything from plastic resin pellets (the raw material used in the manufacture of molded plastic) to rubber duckies.
Plastic resin pellets are accidentally spilled into the ocean, via sea tr
ansportation from the east to the west as well as during the land manufacturing process. It is still unclear how these pellets affect marine organisms. However, the accidental ingestion of the pellets by marine animals is well documented. A group of Japanese scientists have shown that some pellets absorb pollutants from the ocean, which upon ingestion accumulate in the tissues of the organism. Unfortunately, some sea birds mistake the pellets for food. In addition, researchers such as Gregory and Carpenter have shown that the pellets contain PCBs.
After reading about this situation I was appalled. I immediately wanted to know what was being done to solve the problem. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships was introduced with the intention of banning the dumping of most garbage and all plastic materials from ships at sea. It seemed to be a success, with a total of 122 countries having ratified the treaty since then. However, in June 2006, the United Nations environmental program report estimated that there is an average of 46,000 pieces of plastic debris floating on or near the surface of every square mile of the ocean. Evidently, even with treaties in action a lot still needs to be done.
The situation was also discovered by Captain Charles Moore, of the Alguita’s. He and his crew witnessed what they called “the Exxon Valdez of plastic bags” while carrying out a research cruise. While crossing the North Pacific Gyre, the crew discovered a 10-mile-wide mass of plastic bags floating in the ocean. An estimated 6 million bags were destined for Taco Bell restaurants throughout the US. These eternal jelly-fish mimics were found floating more than 1,000 miles west of their destination.
Some of these plastic bags are freed from their captivity of the swirling gyre and drift onto the North Pacific shore. However, many of the bags are trapped by calm winds and the gentle currents of the North Pacific's gyre, baiting marine organisms to feast upon their bounty for years to come. The next time you are walking along a beach, look for one of the thousands of bags that wash up daily from countless spills.
There are things we can all do in our daily lives to help prevent plastics from entering our seas. The most obvious one is to not litter! We all should make the effort to take our used plastic bags to supermarkets where they can be recycled. I myself will confess, my diligence is not absolute on this matter.
Another way we can prevent the spread of plastics and one that has become quite a pet peeve of mine, are people releasing balloons. Balloons seem so harmless. After all, they are decorations for birthday parties and are associated with children’s laughter, how can they create such havoc in the marine environment? The pretty floating balloons drift up and eventually back down, their destination – a marine environment. When a deflated balloon lands in the sea, it looks like an appetizing jelly-fish to many marine organisms. Countless sea turtles are killed each year due to the accidental ingestion of balloons.
Plastic resin pellets are accidentally spilled into the ocean, via sea tr
ansportation from the east to the west as well as during the land manufacturing process. It is still unclear how these pellets affect marine organisms. However, the accidental ingestion of the pellets by marine animals is well documented. A group of Japanese scientists have shown that some pellets absorb pollutants from the ocean, which upon ingestion accumulate in the tissues of the organism. Unfortunately, some sea birds mistake the pellets for food. In addition, researchers such as Gregory and Carpenter have shown that the pellets contain PCBs.After reading about this situation I was appalled. I immediately wanted to know what was being done to solve the problem. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships was introduced with the intention of banning the dumping of most garbage and all plastic materials from ships at sea. It seemed to be a success, with a total of 122 countries having ratified the treaty since then. However, in June 2006, the United Nations environmental program report estimated that there is an average of 46,000 pieces of plastic debris floating on or near the surface of every square mile of the ocean. Evidently, even with treaties in action a lot still needs to be done.
The situation was also discovered by Captain Charles Moore, of the Alguita’s. He and his crew witnessed what they called “the Exxon Valdez of plastic bags” while carrying out a research cruise. While crossing the North Pacific Gyre, the crew discovered a 10-mile-wide mass of plastic bags floating in the ocean. An estimated 6 million bags were destined for Taco Bell restaurants throughout the US. These eternal jelly-fish mimics were found floating more than 1,000 miles west of their destination.
Some of these plastic bags are freed from their captivity of the swirling gyre and drift onto the North Pacific shore. However, many of the bags are trapped by calm winds and the gentle currents of the North Pacific's gyre, baiting marine organisms to feast upon their bounty for years to come. The next time you are walking along a beach, look for one of the thousands of bags that wash up daily from countless spills.
There are things we can all do in our daily lives to help prevent plastics from entering our seas. The most obvious one is to not litter! We all should make the effort to take our used plastic bags to supermarkets where they can be recycled. I myself will confess, my diligence is not absolute on this matter.
Another way we can prevent the spread of plastics and one that has become quite a pet peeve of mine, are people releasing balloons. Balloons seem so harmless. After all, they are decorations for birthday parties and are associated with children’s laughter, how can they create such havoc in the marine environment? The pretty floating balloons drift up and eventually back down, their destination – a marine environment. When a deflated balloon lands in the sea, it looks like an appetizing jelly-fish to many marine organisms. Countless sea turtles are killed each year due to the accidental ingestion of balloons.
2 comments:
Thanks for the info. Well-written article. Never thought about the balloons before. That's where your Society can help. When kids understand this sort of problem they are usually VERY vocal in spreading the word. Good luck getting your program into classrooms to start the process.
An even better solution for plastic bags is to use reusable cloth bags. We've started doing that and are amazed at how much less plastic waste we generate. After putting groceries away, we stuff our reusable bags into a single bag and put it by the front door so that we can put them back in the car. Then we don't have to remember them on grocery day -- they just live in our car. A friend of ours has a small nylon bag that fits into its own small pouch. She keeps it in her purse for unexpected purchases. It is small enough for guys to keep in a pocket.
Recycling is great, but reducing is even better!
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