Thread by @RebeccaRHelm

THIS IS KEY: why produce 600 metric tonnes of emissions per month to clean plastic from the middle of the ocean using nets that can harm sea life when there are better ways to do this? A thread on ocean plastic and alternative solutions ⬇️

https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1493659852429799425

First, an intro to Great Pacific Garbage Patch plastic. A MASSIVE amount is fisheries-related: Ghost nets, buckets, laundry baskets. Then there are shipping spills, which can produce large numbers of similar items (we're tracking a mini-fridge spill right now)...
📷 Mstelfox

Spills are largely due to container losses from @Maersk, & the last few years have been rough. These are massive & can float. For my research, I know of at least one canceled Hawaii-California transit because due to the risk of hitting a container...
wsj.com/articles/maers…

The products from within these containers can also spill out, creating a point-source pollution event. Sometimes, scientists can actually use these events to understand ocean currents. But by far the bigger issue in the North Pacific is ghost net gear... npr.org/2011/03/29/134…

By some estimates, ghost nets & fishing gear make up the majority of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and are an entanglement risk for sea life. So how do we cut ghost net numbers?...
📷 NOAA

First, there are organizations that collect ghost nets using sailing vessels and community science. When a ship spots a ghost net, it's reported and later collected. The Ocean Voyages Institue is BY FAR the most successful at this...

https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1276932823249637376

But many people much smarter than me have also come up with ways to work with the fishing industry to harvest these nets. For example: hakaimagazine.com/features/scoop…

And then there's an idea that's been kicking around conservation organizations for a while: since we know the regions of origin for much of this fishing gear, why not take that million dollar operating budget and PAY for discarded fishing nets in these areas?...

So now there are possible solutions to collecting the plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, solutions for preventing it from getting there in the first place. What else?...

Finally, FINALLY, the UN is entering discussion for a worldwide plastics treaty, this could have MAJOR implications for the oceans, as it will regulate plastic BEFORE it gets there. And what about the oceans?...washingtonpost.com/climate-soluti…

The 4th (possibly last) treaty negotiations are being held to protect biodiversity on the high seas. These talks could provide a framework for tackling global problems related to biodiversity protection (they don't talk plastics specifically)...

https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1493325818117849088

In short, there are cost-effective and environmentally friendly cleanup options, safe prevention options, and policies being developed to tackle this issue. One company won't solve this problem. It takes all of us. [end]

(p.s. I mostly talked about the largest sources of plastic. If we can prevent ghost gear from being lost & reduce spills that'll be a big start. Preventing plastic from getting INTO the ocean in the first place is millions of times more effective & practical. WE CAN DO THIS)