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Essay on ocean conservation
Plastic &its efforts on the marine ecosystem
Plastic &its efforts on the marine ecosystem
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This topic was chosen because the author has an interest in ocean conservation. Careful consideration of a topic was given as environmental sustainability had to be linked to the topic inquiry. With this in mind, it was decided that research would be conducted on the effects of plastic pollution on sea turtles and the effects this has on their population. Initial research found numerous articles, journals and websites. Environmental issues in marine life can lead to emotional bias responses, especially as the sea turtle injuries and health issues are from plastic pollution that is caused by man.
Images of sea turtles are commonly associated with the ocean and marine conservation. Whether it is because of their majestic nature, their size, their universal appeal to people all over the world, or the battle to reach the seas and adulthood. Whatever it is, there is a common theme, that sea turtles need our help and protection. The issue of this
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The author was aware that there was a problem with plastic pollution, however, did not realise that there are more than five trillion plastic pieces weighing over 250,000 tonnes floating around at sea (Erickson, Lebreton, Carson, Thiel, Moore, Borerro, Galgani, Ryan & Reisser, 2014). This figure indicates the plastic pollution in our waterways in a threat not only to sea turtles but all marine life. As a society, we are responsible for this pollution, it is our rubbish that is causing this issue. There are many organisations that are trying to encourage us to recycle, by reducing, reusing and recycling plastic (Sea Turtle Conservancy. n,d..). Through highlighting, the problems that plastic pollution has on sea turtles in this inquiry will hopefully allow others a better understanding of their
The efforts taking place through different conservation organizations and the State of Florida are making a mixed impact on the survival of Manatees and Sea Turtles. The decline in manatee population has decreased, but due to low reproduction rates, more needs to be done to avoid extinction. The sea turtle outlook is more species specific. Some species of turtle are seeing stabilization in population, while others are not. The State of Florida has a large array of custom license tags that support the conservation efforts taking place within the State. The proceeds go to benefit the local marine life in Florida. With financial resources, state and local cooperation, and through constant research and observation, we are able to learn more about both of these gentle animals. With human awareness of those living in Florida, these two animals will survive
Which means their obviously bad for the aquatic marine life environment & are cause many different forms of damage for them & us as one. On p.g. 23 of The New York Times upfront magazine “Birds,fish, sea turtles, & others are getting tangled in plastic bags or mistake them for food & choke”. Someone else might argue that they could the plastic bags in landfills instead of oceans. But that counter- argument is flawed because you’re just polluting by burning plastic which is bad on our part we’re not doing our part to support & taking care of the earth. Plastic in the ocean isn't just bad for plants & animals but for humans too because of the food chain some of us eat animals as a meat source such as aqua marine life like fish. If the fishermen catch fish that have been eating plastic then it's in our food supply if we eat that fish it's gonna be bad for us so many will end up getting sick from the plastic inside of the fish then what will we do our aqua marine food supply will go down the drain we couldn’t eat the fish since it's basically contaminated with plastic that we’re dumping there instead of trying to fix it & getting rid of plastic bags for good for the good of the earth. We’re causing damage towards the earth by dumping all that plastic into the ocean which damages our water supply it’ll poison us although we clean the water it depends on how big the plastic particles are, it’ll make us sick & sense it’s been lying in the oceans could bring in new pathogens &
...rients and balance sea floor sediments. Many environmental and government run programs have been created to help the efforts of saving sea turtles. Some of the actions include making mass fishing companies use safer methods to prevent catching turtles, ordinances that control lighting along beachside properties, and small groups protecting nests from their creation to hatching. In addition to these measures, wire mesh gratings are put over the nests in order to protect them from being scavenged by foxes (Kurz, Straley, Degregorio, 2011). Although these efforts do make a positive impact, loggerhead’s migration patterns are so vast and worldwide that it is almost impossible to truly enforce conservation efforts. This is because sometimes they can be seen as an “inconvenience”. It is important that we strive to protect this important component of the ocean’s ecosystem.
M., Gutierrez…). This is something that the Marine Debris Program is looking to eliminate. By removing the plastic from the water, and preventing it from leaking its chemicals, the eating of the plastic in general, and the prospect of these plastics being breeding grounds for dangerous pathogens, the marine environment would be safer for animals and humans alike. So, it is clear, the removal of this harmful debris, specifically plastic is something that must be done through this Citizen Science
Commercial fishing of other marine animals is one of the main reasons for drastic decline in all sea turtles. Turtles rely on air to breathe despite being marine animals, therefore when captured in nets while scavenging for food they most likely drown. In the US alone 250,000 turtles are accidently captured, injured or killed every year. (WWF, conserveturtles) However, there is also commercial fishing within sea turtles. Turtle’s shells, skin, meat and, eggs are valuable and decorative items that many humans want to
...emale leatherback turtle and her habits in order to fully understand this critically endangered marine animal.
All four species of sea turtles recorded to nest in Malaysia fall in either the endangered (EN) or critically endangered (CR) categories according to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2013). Generally, nesting trends of sea turtles in Malaysia have been decreasing. The nesting trend of green and hawksbill species have not significantly increase but it can say to be stabilized throughout the years. Moreover, olive ridleys and leatherback species are listed critical...
Recently, an uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean was found to be polluted with 38 million pieces of plastic that had been carried over by currents (Wang, “No one lives on this remote Pacific island”). The island, dubbed ‘trash island’, is home to diverse animal populations that have all been devastated by the pollution. On the beach, hundreds of birds were seen dead by reporters and scientists. When analyzed, the primary cause of death turned out to be consumption of plastic. When animals ingest plastic, it clogs their stomach and poisons their body with toxic chemicals. These toxic chemicals cause an array of issues, such as reproductive and endocrine problems. Eventually, this leads to death (Knoblauch, “The environmental toll of plastics”). But due to the nature of plastics, it can take hundreds or even thousands of years to completely degrade, meaning that as plastic pollution continues to build up, more places like ‘trash island’ will be discovered. According to conservation scientist Alex Bond, “…[The island] is just an indicator of what’s floating around out there” (Wang, “No one lives on this remote Pacific
Sea turtles are a very well known marine species. But not many people really know the true stories behind sea turtles. They are considered a very endangered species in the marine ecosystem therefore the aim of this study is to inform people a more in depth view of sea turtles, including the characteristics of sea turtles. Such as, the different types of sea turtles, their habitats, and their reproductive system. Also a few real life cases that involves stories about sea turtles that are harmed. The results of this study implied that human actions could effect the sea turtles population, as well as other aquatic animals.
Marine turtles play an important role in the ocean's ecology and without turtles we may see an ecological collapse in the oceans. The marine turtles are one of the few animals in the sea that eat sea grass (Godfrey). Marine turtles act as grazing animals that cut the grass short and help maintain the health of the sea grass beds (Godfrey). Over the past decades, there has been a decline in sea grass beds. This decline may be linked to the lower numbers of Marine turtles (Godfrey). Sea grass is important because it is a breeding ground for many species of fish, shellfish, and crustaceans (Godfrey). Beaches and sand dunes are known to not have alot of nutrients. When Marine turtles come to land they well bury their eggs in the sand of the beaches. Not every nest will hatch, not every egg in a nest will hatch, and not all of the hatchlings in a nest will make it out of the nest (Godfrey). All the dead hatchlings make a good source of nutrients for the beaches; the shells of the hatchlings make a good source as well (Godfrey). If marine turtles were to go extinct, then the beaches and sand dunes will lose a...
Sea Turtles and Evolution Human activity is endangering a vast array of lifeforms that have inhabited the Earth for millions of years. Recently I visited the Field Museum in Chicago Illinois to tour an exhibit titled The Evolving Planet. The story that the exhibit told was that of life on planet Earth, and how throughout time Earth has reinvented itself using whatever surviving species that remained after its latest mass extinction period had ended. It depicted in a graphic format how time and catastrophes have forever changed Earth’s landscape, including its inhabitants. One of the inhabitants that has managed to survive and evolve is the sea turtle.
The world population is living, working, and vacationing along the coasts. They are contributing to an unprecedented tide of plastic waste. Pollution is defined as the process that alters a substance or molecule on planet earth, the pollution is caused by the physical contact of an organic decaying particle with a clean particle in the same spot, at the time the two particles join together is when occurs pollution in which the environment is greatly altered. Too many, plastic is a modern day miracle, versatile, inexpensive and durable (Rochman 2014). To others, it is a scourge, a non-degradable pollutant that threatens to choke the global environment. Plastic pollution has led to the deaths of many animals, natural resources, and people (Rochman 2014). It is time to change America’s thinking and to learn from past mistakes.
Plastic or paper, is a choice that people face when going to the grocery stores. Plastic bags are often the choice that is made. A controversial issue in the world today is the use of plastic bags. Plastic bags are used because of the convenience they give, by being able to carry several items at once. However, in the article, “Banning Bans, Not Bags”, Jennifer Schultz claims, “Plastic bags clog up local waterways, litter roadways, and get swallowed up by unsuspecting fish” (6). Plastic bags are used once, then are discarded or, littered all over the place. When they are littered all over they become problems for more than just humans. These plastic bags pose a big hazard for animals on land and in especially the ocean. Humans eat land and
Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution in every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution. They can have a damaging effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks, and trees. Plastic bags are potentially one of the main causes of death to marine animals (Harbor keepers,2008). Up to one hundred thousand marine animals or more die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This can result in blocking the animal’s intestines and possibly lead to the animal’s death. Another possible situation is that wildlife, such as birds, can get tangled in plastic bags causing choking and immobility, which may eventually lead to death. (Senior, 2008) and (Citizen Campaign, 2010). In other situations, after plastic bags photo degrade they remain toxic and could be eaten by fish, shellfish or any other marine life and survive this allows the toxins to enter our food chain through bioaccumulation (Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, 2011).
Research from the University of California San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography said that species in the ocean consume a projected 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic every year in the Pacific Ocean (Nall, 2014). Pollution of recyclable materials in the oceans is one of the leading causes of why some marine species are nearing extinction. Many authors of articles and books analyzing this topic tend to agree that pollution of our oceans is a problem. The future of this problem is where their ideas tend to differ. The following four literature reviews attempt to demonstrate and support my belief that pollution is getting worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there are things that we as humans can do to change this. Imagine a world where we didn’t have to constantly worry about the vicious cycle of humans affecting animals and then animals in turn affecting us through consumption.