Marine Debris

Marine pollution in our oceans is something that is causing so much harm to the ocean itself and the sea life within it. "Marine debris is a persistent pollution problem that reaches throughout the entire ocean and Great Lakes. Our ocean and waterways are polluted with a wide variety of marine debris, ranging from tiny microplastics, smaller than 5 mm, to derelict fishing gear and abandoned vessels." (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2020). Marine debris can also interfere with navigation safety and potentially pose a threat to human health. Local, national, and international efforts are needed to address this environmental problem. The Save our Seas Act of 2018 amends and reauthorizes the Marine Debris Act to promote international action, authorize cleanup and response actions, and increase coordination among federal agencies on this topic.

Debris Free Waters - Through ingestion, entanglement, and interaction; marine debris affects the natural functioning of freshwater and saltwater ecosystems and the activity and health of the organisms that host them. Foraging refers to the normal pattern of dissatisfied marine debris eating marine debris. Current literature suggests that many marine organisms mistake small pieces of plastic or debris for food, which has obvious implications for the health of individual organisms, food webs, and general marine ecosystems. Gives. Aged fishing gear is especially harmful as it often causes "ghost fishing". Marine debris also indirectly affects ecological function. Peer-reviewed publications on the effects of marine plastic  debris  have shed light on the impacts on ecosystems and wildlife since the 1980s.

The mission at The Ocean Cleanup is to remove plastic from the  oceans of the world. They explained why they're focusing on catching plastic in the river. They believe this is the quickest and cheapest way to prevent plastics from entering the ocean. According to the modeling, more than 80% of what's floating is not far from  the coastline within a month entered. The sea that may be in. Marine debris stains are the planets that correspond to the corners of your room that have wiped out all the mess you left on the floor. The GPGP covers only  about 0.5% of the world's sea level, but is estimated to contain more than 50% of all plastics floating in the open ocean. The ocean needs our help and if nothing is done to prevent further harm and pollution, the quality of the ocean will just continue to diminish. 

CALL TO ACTION - If you liked the information provided in this post and are interested in furthering your knowledge, please click on the picture below! Oceana is an organization, based in Washington D.C. committed to save and restore oceans through targeted policy campaigns. They carry out targeted campaigns to prevent the collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other damages to sea life resulted from industrial fishing and pollution. Your support is greatly appreciated!

References

Bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act Signed Into Law. (2020, December 21). In Sheldon Whitehouse . Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/release/-bipartisan-save-our-seas-20-act-signed-into-law#:~:text=The%20Save%20Our%20Seas%202.0%20Act%20is%20composed%20of%20three,research%20to%20tackle%20the%20

Ocean pollution and marine debris. (2020, April 1). In National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved from https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts/ocean-pollution#:~:text=Marine%20debris%20is%20a%20persistent,fishing%20gear%20and%20abandoned%20vessels.

OR&R's Marine Debris Division. (2022, April 5). The Marine Debris Act. In Marine Debris Program - Office of Response and Restoration. Retrieved from https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/about-our-program/marine-debris-act#:~:text=The%20Act%20requires%20the%20program,environment%2C%20and%20navigation%20safety.%E2%80%9D

What is Marine Debris?. (2022). In Debris Free Oceans. Retrieved from https://debrisfreeoceans.org/marine-debris

Image References

Bertolt Jensen, N. (Photographer). (2021). Fish trapped in a plastic bag. [Image of photograph]. Indonesia; Unsplash License. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/frWkCQZhe-I

Woodhouse, D. (Photographer). (2018). [Image of photograph]. Dominican Republic, Punta Cana; Unsplash License. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/RUqoVelx59I