The Biggest Source of Pollution in the Ocean

With much of mainstream media pushing for moves away from simple plastics like straws and utensils, it would make sense that those household, everyday plastics are the biggest problem in the ocean. Contrary to what is being put out in the media, dumped fishing gear is the biggest plastic polluter in the ocean. More than 640,000 tons of nets, lines, pots, and traps used in commercial fishing are dumped and discarded in the sea every year. While that is only around 8% of the total 8 million tons that enter the ocean every year, it is a very large percentage compared to the .025% that makes up straws. While all plastic is harmful, these fishing materials are especially dangerous to marine life. Large amounts of fish, turtles, sharks, and other animals end up dying while tangled in these nets and other materials. One example of these effects was shown through the 300 turtles that washed up dead on the beaches of Mexico while tangled in discarded fishing nets. It is crucial to bring awareness to the true problem. While this problem can most likely only be tackled on the international level and through government action, raising awareness is the best start. To learn more about this problem I would suggest watching the Netflix Documentary: Seaspiracy and reading more using this link.