I really woke up to the problem when I arrived at a beach in the Philippines (I wrote about this on our sister site) where we found heaps and heaps of plastic brought in from the ocean by the waves. We decided to spend an hour every day collecting the plastic, did that for a week and ended up feeling like we didn't make any difference really. I did some reading and realized; this phenomenon isn't just about the Philippines... on our travels we have seen this in many other places, including S.E. Asia (Bali, Krabi).
How Many Marine Animals Are Killed by Plastic Each Year?
- one million sea birds are killed by plastic each year;
- one hundred thousand marine mammal in general are killed every year;
What Animals Are Affected by Water Pollution?
- sea turtles;
- fish;
- aquatic mammals: seals, sea lions, whales and dolphins;
- sea birds, e.g. albatrosses & seagulls.
Now that's a lot :( Some of the most common ways marine animals die from plastic are:
- getting entangled and not being able to fend for themselves or move (or swim away from predators);
- strangling and chocking, suffocation;
- digestive problems after eating plastic;
- habitats destroyed by plastic;
- mating rituals affected by plastic waste;
... and the list goes on, sadly :(
How to Reduce Your Plastic Waste
- expanding your knowledge about how plastic pollution affects the oceans (e.g. Oceans' quizzes and puzzles about plastic pollution, a fun way to learn!)
- saying no to plastic straws (there are stainless steel straws instead)
- ditching lighters (you can use matches instead)
- saying no to plastic bags (use tote bags!)
- using your cash influence ('put your money where you mouth is', as they say - try to buy stuff at zero waste shops!)
- chucking plastic toothbrushes (there are bamboo toothbrushes!)
- saying goodbye to shampoo bottles (either goo 'nopoo' - shampoo-less, only washing hair with water which is what we do, or use solid shampoo bars!)
- prepping packed lunches (if you have the time - take away food & coffee comes with a lot of plastic waste!)
- throwing out your tampons (use menstrual cups - aka 'moon cups' - instead!)
- saying no to plastic bottles (yepp, no more fizzy drinks - aka 'diabetes juice' - refill your own metal or glass bottle instead!)
- saying to deodorants (peppermint, tea tree oil, coconut oil and bicarb make wonderful home-made deodorants, without the plastic pots!)
- volunteering (if you can, e.g. at beach cleanups!)
These are just some ideas, of course (I wrote about them in more detail on our sister site), I'm sure you can brainstorm and come up with more - let me know in the comments section below and I'll include it in this list :)
What Marine Animals Can You Save by Going Vegan?
– cartilaginous fishes: sharks & skates (similar to rays and yepp, they're eaten in some places);
– ray-finned fish: tuna, salmon, sturgeons, anchovies, cods, herrings, sardines & eels;
– shellfish:
- molluscs: squids, octopuses, cuttlefish, oysters, clams, mussels & sea snails
- crustaceans: lobsters, crabs, shrimps (or prawns) crayfish, barnacles
- echinoderms: sea urchins (for roe, similar to caviar) & sea cucumbers (seriously!)
– aquatic mammals: dolphins (check Japan), whales (check Norway), seals;
– reptiles: sea turtles (check turtle farming)
Wrap Up: Marine Animals Endangered by Pollution
ABOUTME
Hi! I'm Laura, I travel the world full-time and 100% vegan. Travel made me vegan - find out more here: How Travel Made Me Vegan
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