There May Be More Plastic Than Fish In Oceans By 2050

Ocean Pollution is Harming Marine Life and Our Health
By:Alex Meachum
Posted: Jun 22, 2018 07:02 PM CDT
Updated: Jun 22, 2018 08:23 PM CDT
Shreveport, La. - Scientists say there's so much trash in our oceans by 2050 they will be more trash than fish. It can harm marine life and our health.
It's something people may not think about, but the plastics we use right here in Caddo Parish can still wind up in the ocean. Those chemicals are ingested by fish and us. Plastic does not break down fast and far outlives us.
Huge heaps of plastic debris miles long has created islands of floating trash. You can spot what's called the "Great Garbage Patches" from outer space. There are five of them across the world. Our's is off the coast of California in the Pacific and it's twice the size of Texas.
"It's so large it's going to effect the marine life. It's going to effect the food you eat and even the recreation you do," said Anne Lutz, host education supervisor Shreveport Aquarium.
The Shreveport Aquarium incorporates this message throughout their exhibits. Caddo Parish may feel far from the ocean but your trash can still end up there. Plastics thrown in the Red River wind up in the Gulf in only five days. Animals eat the plastics and starve to death.
"What do plastic bags look like? They look just like a sea jelly. So the sea turtle is going to come along expecting to have a really nice lunch and instead he gets a plastic bag. It gets inside his stomach and unfortunately it's going to block him from eating anything else. So that's going to be a slow, terrible way to go," Lutz said.
Plastic straws are a major issue. A recent viral video shows a straw pulled from a turtle's nose. A national non-profit is working to bring awareness over single-use plastics.
"Every day in the United States over 500-million straws are used, every single day in the United States alone. Those straws are used for about 20 minutes and they stay in our environment for over 200 years," said Leesa Carter-Jones, president of Captain Planet Foundation.
The Shreveport Aquarium uses art to portray the problem. They hang plastic bottles picked up right here on city streets.
"What can you do to help? Get out there and it clean it up yourself. If it's not us, then who's going to do it?" Lutz said. If polluting oceans doesn't worry you, think about what it does to human health. Plastics contain chemicals which can end up in the fish we eat."It's important to take seriously because we only have one Earth. So if we're treating the earth as our trashcan, it's going to effect us. It's going to effect the food that we eat, and eventually there's only so much trash you can bury," Lutz said.
The aquarium said people and businesses can help change it.
"What can you do to help this? Reduce, reuse, recycle," Lutz said.
The Shreveport Aquarium and the Captain Planet Foundation said there are a few simple things you can do. Buy re-useable straws or paper straws that won't disintegrate in your drink but are biodegradable.

Copyright 2018 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. 


Full Article: http://www.arklatexhomepage.com/news/local-news/ocean-pollution-is-harming-marine-life-and-our-health/1257153301

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