Feature story - November 3, 2006
Here in the middle of the Pacific, plastic marine debris is a harsh reality that marine creatures large and small have to live with. But for those of us onboard the Esperanza, the real impact of plastic on our oceans is still unfolding. On our way to California, we've already noticed more and more plastic pollution pass us by, and we're getting a very clear picture of how our lives on land are helping to destroy life at sea.
This piece of plastic was pulled out of the Pacific by the crew of the Esperanza
Today, we're continuing to move through the Trash Vortex, an
areaof the North Pacific where currents and winds gather plastic
pollutionfrom both sides of this peaceful ocean. We're watching in
awe as piecesof trash large and small pass us by, and with our
sampling and discoveryefforts, we can even see how this garbage is
becoming one with oceancreatures.
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Size Doesn't Matter
The problem is much worse than we could have thought. We had
thoughtthat the large bits of plastic floating by were a
significant problem, but wehad no idea just how many tiny pieces of
plastic would turn up in ourdaily sampling efforts. The marine
debris sampler, which we dragalongside Esperanza twice daily, skims
the surface of the oceanand brings up everything in its path.
We've been getting a disturbingamount of plastic, large and
small. The occasional toothbrush, nettingand tubing paint a grim
future for our oceans, but what is potentiallymore dangerous are
the little pieces of plastic, worn down byyears of swirling in the
salt water.
These small pieces of debris, including pre-production pellets,
or"nurdles," can appear to be food for fish, sea birds and even the
smallestof ocean life. These may also act as a toxic sponge,
absorbing persistentorganic pollutants, the consequences of which
are yet to become clear.
What can we do?
Seeing someone's toothbrush float by in the middle of the
Pacific hasbeen an eye-opening experience for everyone onboard. If
someone knewthat their toothbrush would one day end up thousands of
miles away fromthe nearest spot ofland, would they still carelessly
throw it away?What we need to do is start demanding more
responsibility from eachother in our use of plastic, and stop
living as if everything isdisposable and that the future will not
be impacted.
So much of our trashends up in the oceans, so think twicethe
next time you toss away something after you use it, and think
aboutwhat the life cycle of that ridiculous plastic packaging
wrapped aroundnearly everything that we buy. It's going to be a
big change, but it'sa change we have to make, for the sake of our
oceans, and for theability of future generations to enjoy them.
How to help.
What you can do to help.