Five things you can do to save the ocean and its animals
News
Take a walk on a beach anywhere in the world and you’ll see the scale of marine litter problem. About 10% of all marine litter is lost, discarded and abandoned fishing gear - known as ghost gear, it is the biggest threat facing sea animals.
It’s clear that now is time for action. And we can all play our part. Here’s five ways you can help:
1. Join World Animal Protection at a volunteer beach clean! We will be working with like-minded supporters to collect rubbish from beaches along the east coast of Australia. Events will be held in Sydney, Wollongong and the Gold Coast. For more details, check out our Facebook page.
2. Say no to single-use plastic products. Upwards of half a billion plastic straws are used and discarded each day. Similarly, more than a million plastic bottles are bought every minute. Many of these are used only once. Too often, these single-use products find their way into our oceans .
Image credit: Digital Visions
3. Rule the pool, ride the waves and save sea animals at the same time by wearing a wildlife-friendly swimming costume. A number of swimwear brands have started to do their own recycling. They’re making swimwear out of ECONYL® – a fabric made from recycled fishing nets. So you can take comfort in the knowledge you’re taking a small action to help sea animals.
Image credit: Daan Verhoeven
4. Don’t let your dives go to waste! Help keep our oceans free from plastic and litter and join a dive against debris today.
5. Procrastinate productively! Take the time to share articles and information with your friends, family and colleagues. Education is one of the most powerful tools for change. By reaching out to people and helping them understand the importance of recycling and keeping our oceans free from plastic pollution, you’re changing attitudes and behaviours.
It’s estimated that 640,000 tonnes of ghost fishing gear ends up in our oceans each year. That’s the equivalent of over 250 Olympic swimming pools! This ghost gear entangles and often kills seals, dolphins, whales, birds, and other marine animals. It can take up to 600 years for nets to breakdown into fragments. World Animal Protection is working to protect sea animals from ghost gear with a four-step approach: reduce, remove, rescue and recycle. And you can play your part in protecting our oceans.
World Animal Protection is working to protect sea animals from ghost gear with a four-step approach: reduce, remove, rescue and recycle. And you can play your part in protecting our oceans!