Elizabeth Solis Kim, 2 September 2018, “the anti- plastic campaign is helpful- but if we want to save marine life, we have to stop eating fish”, Independent, https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/fish-plastic-straw-ban-marine-life-ocean-environment-francis-perez-a8518351.html
This article by the independent details how the anti straw and anti plastic movement is beginning to take hold of consumers and legislators alike. More cities and companies, like Starbucks and Seattle, are starting to ban straws and switch to more sustainable options besides plastic. However, straws only account for .03% of all plastic that ends up in the ocean. An expedition to the great pacific garbage patch revealed that 46% of all plastic is due to commercial fishing, especially “ghost nets” used for catching large hauls of fish. Additionally 40% of all fish caught by those nets are bycatch. If the anti plastic and anti straw campaigns are aimed to save marine life, focusing on quitting eating fish is more effective than banning straws for the environment and the animals.
I completely agree with this article. One of the most polluting industries for the marine environment is the fishing industry, especially since 40% of all fish caught are bycatch and usually thrown back dead or dying. Their nets often are carelessly discarded after use and lead to even more destruction as animals easily become entrapped by them. I love that consumers are becoming more conscious about plastic use and especially how it affects the ecosystems around us, however, I hope that people become more educated and continue to improve their buying habits, especially concerning fish.
I believe this is a very valid concern that most of us do not consider. I agree that it’s very important that people are being more conscious with plastic as well as the fact that overfishing is more and more becoming a major problem. However, how do we choose which problem to focus on? We need to educate people on both, yet is there a way to choose which one takes priority? Plastic still does seem like the major issue to me.
Thanks for the comment! I think that we don’t have to pick between the two issues. Both are incredibly important and deserve attention. The fishing industry is a major contributor to the plastic in the ocean( 46%) and is often very unsustainable because of over fishing and by catch. In fact I would argue that fishing can be just as problematic to ocean ecosystems (if not more) than plastic. At the rate we are fishing right now we are on track to drive many oceanic species to extinction. If the goal is to prevent the degradation of oceanic ecosystems we have to address both issues.
I really liked reading your summary about this article. For the past few months we have heard a lot about plastic, more specifically straws. We know now that only some companies will make changes but until next year (Starbucks). I actually think that fishing is a much greater problem and something we should be focusing on because that includes maintaining a food chain. What changes can the US make sooner and more permanently to improve the plastic situation?
Thanks for your comment! I love that plastic pollution has been getting a spotlight in the media lately and I totally agree that fishing is a much greater problem. I think that internationally there needs to be more funding and legislature to protect from over fishing and illegal fishing. I think that trawling and large net fishing should be heavily regulated if not banned. In general laws are slow and hard to pass and we as the consumers should take this issue into our hands, but economic incentives should also be given to companies with sustainable packaging and production of their product.