Ocean First Education brings the sea to life through high-quality, innovative marine science education and creates lifelong students and stewards of the sea.
Have you seen the latest ocean documentary, Blue Planet II, from the BBC? Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the BBC brought us another rendition of amazing ocean vistas, close encounters with giants, and an insider’s look at a world many of us will never see outside the comfort of our own livingrooms. If you haven’t seen it for yourself, it’s worth a weekend-long binge to absorb all seven episodes. If you haven’t seen it, perhaps you’ve heard about the stir it’s made over social media?
The final episode of the series highlighted the damage being done to the oceans and how society can help stop or reverse the damage. Perhaps the most talked about threat was that of plastics. Every year, around eight million tons of plastic enter the ocean. Some of the plastic is consumed by birds, fish, whales, and sea turtles. Other pieces ensnare swimming marine animals slowing them down, preventing them from feeding, and in many cases drowning them. For some, it was a real eye-opener to see “their” trash in the ocean.
It is our hope that as people watch programs like this, they will be motivated to reevaluate their consumption of plastic, especially single use plastics, in an effort to reduce their impact on the ocean.
“We are at a unique stage in our history, never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet and never before have we had the power to do something about that.” - Sir David Attenborough
Single use plastic has become a staple of our modern lives. Our addiction to single use plastics isn’t limited to plastic grocery bags and water bottles. Everything from candy bars to carrots are packaged with single use plastic; even chewing gum is a type of single use plastic. Unfortunately, much of this plastic makes its way to the ocean where it causes a multitude of problems.
When plastic makes it way to the ocean, it breaks down and sea creatures can mistake it for food. Besides mistaking plastic for food, turtles and other marine life can become entangled making the basic functions to sustain life difficult. There are ways you can help reduce the amount of single use plastic finding its way to the ocean. Using cloth grocery bags, utilizing reusable water bottles, and avoiding makeup with microbeads are all simple steps to limit the amount of plastic making its way into the ocean.
The reality is that the ocean is often out of sight, out of mind; therefore, it is difficult for people to connect it to their daily lives. So, why should you or anyone else care about the health and well-being of the ocean? Especially if you don’t live anywhere near it!?! Considering that we’re based out of Boulder, Colorado, it’s a question I get quite often and have come to really enjoy answering.
So, why should we all care about the ocean regardless of where we live? Find out in our blog post.
How well do you know the ocean? This regular feature will help acquaint you with our blue planet.
Topic: Derelict Fishing Gear
Ghost fishing is what happens when lost or abandoned fishing gear (e.g. nets, traps, hooks and line, etc.) “continues to fish” capturing or entangling unintended organisms.
In the US, it is estimated that 10% of marine debris is comprised of abandoned fishing gear, that’s about 640,000 tons of debris.
The plastics used to make nets and lines today are very durable, some are able to survive in the oceans for an estimated 600 years.
Derelict fishing nets not only ensnare large marine organisms such as whales, seals, sharks, birds, and turtles, they can settle on coral reefs, breaking corals and eventually smothering them.
The NOAA Marine Debris Program has helped to collect more than 2.1 million pounds of gear from waters surrounding the United States.
