Save Our Seas

Irelyn Hill & Cody Hubbard

April 3, 2024

Trash is everywhere, and it affects the ecosystem in detrimental ways. 

Microplastics and other trash gets in the ocean by getting blown off the top of a landfill. Microplastics go through water treatment plants, which lead them to the ocean. This is also a problem for the people of Brookings because it harms the fishing industry.

“The burgeoning use of plastic and waste pollution results in microplastic accumulation in fish, adversely affecting fish growth, health, and catch volumes,” said Neville Suh, an environment and agriculture scientist at ANH Academy.

Oil spills are a big problem. They contaminate the soil and surrounding environment for years, and in the ocean, many animals are affected.

In the past, people have had bad waste management. According to Samantha Wohlfeil, a reporter at Inlander.com, Some people used to bury their garbage in the ground, and as you can guess, that's pretty bad. It contaminates the soil and surrounding areas. 

The microplastics can be carried deeper underground and cause many bad side effects in that environment and for all the organisms. 

Many companies used way too much packaging (and still do), most of which is plastic, and most people don't dispose of it all correctly because there's so much of it. 

People still have bad waste management up to this day, though it’s not as bad as it used to be due to laws put in place for certain things. 

However people still have issues with it, such as littering, and not recycling things that need to be, now these may not seem like such a big deal at first, after all what could a few pieces of trash do? Well, when 75% of the world is doing it it's not just a few pieces of trash any more.

According to Smithsonian Ocean, nearly 2,270 species of sea animals are currently endangered, 700 of them being because of pollution, including several species of whale, dolphins, sea turtles and seals.

Turtles eat plastic bags because they think they are jellyfish which happens to be their favorite food, whales eat all kinds of trash because they are filter feeders and it ends up in their mouth with the plankton and krill.

We don’t need to quit using everything with plastic or oil, people just need to be more responsible and dispose of them properly. People can use reusable bags when shopping so less will end up in the ocean. Stop littering, don’t leave anything behind when you go to the beach or river.

This is the reality of the world we live in, however, there are ways the issue can be fixed, it will just take a lot of time and effort but it is possible. 

The issue needs to stop being ignored as much as it has. It will be hard for some people but it can be done, both for humans and the planet.

Photo Credit: https://www.learnz.org.nz/sustainableseas221/discover/threats-to-marine-ecosystems