Plastic Waste Impacts our Wild Fish and Our Health

Marine Debris in the North Pacific

EPA's Summary of Existing Information and Identification of Data

EPA Marine Debris Advisory

The purpose of this blog entry is remind readers of the personal significance and benefits of saying no to unnecessary plastic.  Recently, my family has quit plastic bag usage for the third time.  Since then we have carried our groceries in a laundry sack, carried our clothes to the car from the store without a bag at all, and refused a bag at the local deli for our lunch plus thanked the store's manager for wrapping thier sandwiches in paper.  At Otolith we understand the implication of an unhealthy ocean teaming with unwanted dangerous plastic debris and small particulate.  We also understand that change doesn't come easy. 

It is encouraging to learn that the EPA is publicly admitting our global plastic waste stream has been mismanaged for decades. Folks in Summit County Colorado seem to yearn for more coverage and more evidence of a commitment to clean up the plastic waste in the oceans. Summit County Citizen's Voice spreads the word on the EPA's latest attempt at accountability.   

In October 2013 UCLA published a report urging increased global policy efforts to address the crisis of the plastic pollution in our oceans. 

Here in Philadelphia, we can participate in the national effort to support ocean clean-up and reduce the use of unnecessary plastic.  Thanks to Otolith many of us are now eating better quality wild fish that have been harvested from the ocean along the pristine coastline of Southeast Alaska.  What if our extraordinary fish access was threatened even in places as remote as Southeast Alaska?  

I remember when I realized how fortunate I was to not have mercury poisoning from eating too much fish.  It was 9 years ago and my daughter of 6 months and I were eating coho salmon daily when I noticed that some fishing communities were reporting higher than average incidents of mercury poisoning.  The case being that the residents consumed higher than average quantities of fish harvested within their local area. What was real to me then and still is today is that not all wild fish are high in mercury.  I learned how to discern the best fish for me and my family to maintain the benefits of our lifestyle without threatening our health.  Nonetheless, I am not content to think of ocean pollution as an issue that does not affect me.  Although for the time being I can identify the stock levels and biomass of specific stocks of wild fish to assess their stability and deaths caused by plastic, and I can even avoid certain stocks of fish or species to avoid eating fish that may be more likely to consume the highest amounts of plastic.  However, I cannot stop fish mortality rates from escalating due to plastic, and I cannot prevent plastic waste from polluting all corners of the oceans. It is likely that one day my education and awareness will not be able to offset the destruction and diminished quality of life I will eventually suffer as a result of plastic pollution in the ocean; unless others like you accept that the future is uncertain and change is necessary now.

Without action the plastic pollution disaster that exists today could spread and have significant negative impact on all wild fish and the health of those who eat them.  Plastic waste could cause a precipitous decline in mature fish thereby devastating fish stocks and commercial harvests.  We know that recycling alone is not enough.  First we must reduce our reliance on unnecessary plastic.  We must insist on incentivizing the cleanup of our oceans and the global campaign required for successful ocean waste management.  

Please be unafraid to awkwardly carry your items from the store when you forget your reusable bags, use paper only instead of plastic, thank businesses that use paper and not plastic, buy yourself several metal insulated coffee cups and refill them even if they are dirty if you have to rather than buy another one-time-use plastic lid or styrofoam cup again.