According to the World Economic Forum, by the year 2050 our oceans are expected to contain more plastics (by weight) than fish. This terrifying statistic means that the salmon and prawns you just purchased from your local fish markets ate plastic for lunch and dinner… And so did you.
Are you familiar with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society? Acting as the gatekeepers of our oceans, the non-profit marine conservation organisation works tirelessly to conserve and protect our ocean and its unique species. Using innovative and direct-action tactics to investigate, document and take action when necessary, Sea Shepherd exposes and confronts illegal activities on the high seas, such as illegal whaling, unregulated fishing and reef defence.
But it’s not just marine animals that the Sea Shepherd team stand up and fight for it, it’s also plastic debris in our oceans. Surveys at coastal sites across Australia found that approximate 75% of the marine debris along our coastline is plastic, with most of it being found near major cities. Sea Shepherd Australia’s Marine Debris Campaign is a nation-wide movement to combat the amount of marine debris choking our oceans, waterways and their defenceless inhabitants. Dolphins, whales, sharks, turtles, fish, birds and other marine life are the innocent victims of our plastic crimes.
With 18,000 pieces of plastic litter reported to be floating on every square kilometre of the world’s oceans, plastic outnumbers sea life at a ratio of six to one. Plastic is extremely harmful to our marine life and can cause severe injury or even death through drowning, entanglement, internal injuries or starvation following ingestion.