When was the last time that you walked along the beach? Try to picture it. The salty aroma and humid air filling your lungs as you gape out at the endless sparkling waves that stretch to the horizon. It's a beautiful sight that pleasantly humbles you.
Now, to shatter that wonderful memory.... when was the last time you went to the beach and didn't see a single piece of trash gracing the shore or caught up in the wrack lines? My guess is never (unless you happen to be nearly a century old).
There is nothing that ruins such a picturesque scene like plastic bags lapping in the waves and seagulls picking at tattered beer cans.
With our explosive population, human waste has quickly become a monstrous dilemma. Improperly discarded plastics and other debris continue to find their way to the oceans. Processed materials do no readily biodegrade and are plaguing the fragile ecosystems of the world. Evidence of human disturbance (TRASH!) ends up biting us back when a day at the beach becomes a depressing reminder that the 'pristine' sea is actually NOT 'pristine' at all.
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| Surfer in Indonesia takes a photo of himself to demonstrate the sheer quantity of human trash in the water by his home. |
The deleterious effects of such marine debris on wildlife are endless. That plastic cup that missed the garbage can when you tossed it will persist in the environment (most likely ending up in the ocean) for hundreds of years. Is that what you want to leave as your personal legacy? A pile plastic for turtles and birds to snack on long after your time on Earth has ended? Didn't think so.
Next time you are at the beach, pick up some trash instead of staring at it! Every individual bottle does count! If one million people (out of the billions on Earth) picked up ten pieces of trash from the ocean or beaches in a year (you could easily do this in a single trip to the shore)....that is a potential 1-billion pieces of garbage removed from the ocean in a hundred years. I can't even fathom what 1-billion pieces of trash looks like, but I trust that the world would be a significantly cleaner place. Seriously, do it. You do matter!
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The article that prompted this rant on marine debris focused on a specific form of human disturbance: the ghost net. Derelict fishing gear and trawl nets accidentally lost to the seas do not cease to 'catch.' I'm not going to completely reiterate the article, but you should definitely watch this video or read about it yourself!
To end on a positive note, check out the NOAA Marine Debris team. The team members are dedicated to removing harmful trash and ghost nets from the oceans and need your help!
Government funding is available :)
"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it's always ourselves we find in the sea." - e.e. cummings
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