The world today is facing a huge problem associated with pollution and environmental degradation. Trash accumulation in the environment is one of how contamination occurs. This trash are later on swept away into rivers and other water bodies, causing severe problems to marine life.  Environmental degradation causes issues to not only aquatic life but also human interactions. When beaches are filled with trash, it even makes it unfit for local as well as international tourists to visit. In this study, we will to look at the best possible ways to clean our oceans and beaches to ensure the protection of marine life.

Garbage accumulation is in five little “Patches” existing in doldrums of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest stretching from the North American coast to The Japanese coast. An estimation study revealed that approximately 480000 plastic pieces exist inside the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (Parker par 8). According to Marcus Eriksen, a marine scientist, He estimated that about 500,000 tonnes of floating debris are also in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (Parker par 10). Plastics and this floating debris have been known to have adverse effects on the existing of marine life.

There has been increasing harm to fish majorly and other aquatic creatures. According to research conducted on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 2009 by Scripps, approximately 9 percent of the fish happened to have consumed plastic. An analysis by Eriksen together with other marine scientists revealed that out of 671 collected fish, 35 percent had plastic particles in their systems (Parker par 12). This situation is life-threatening even to human beings who eat the fish with ingested plastic in their systems. Aside from plastics, there has been a detection of toiletries as well as other industrial effluents in oceans. They result from the surface runway by rain and wind as well as direct disposal and discharge from individuals which are rather careless acts (Parker par 12). A comprehensive study by CSIRO has also revealed that about eighty percent of litter washes down the beaches from downstream rivers.

Scientists in the recent past have favored a more convenient and practical method in protecting oceans and aquatic life. They are calling out on people all around the world, persuading them to seize littering. People should receive incentives not to litter around. This solution is the cheapest, most natural and the most efficient in addressing this problem. People visiting ocean beaches during vacations should avoid littering around during their fun activities (Zielinski et al. 394).  Individuals should use fewer plastic products as they contribute to the destruction of the habitat. Reusable bottles should come in handy as well as nondisposable food containers. People should also engage in local beach cleanup programs regularly. It should be a voluntary kind of work for the sake of nature’s love. A regular beach cleaning program will reduce accumulation of litter in ocean shores that might be swept into the water by tidal waves and predispose aquatic life to pollution dangers (Zielinski et al. 396). Industries should devise methods of recycling their waste products instead of discharging them into rivers that in turn sweep them downstream into the oceans.

Oceans are beautiful, and so are the beaches and aquatic life. Environmental conservation is an essential aspect of our lives. With the increasing world population, we are supposed to be more vigilant in whatever kind of environmental activities we participate in. If at all the events are more likely than not to cause environmental degradation, we ought not to engage in them.

Works cited

Parker, Laura. “The Best Way To Deal With Ocean Trash.” News.Nationalgeographic.Com, 2014, https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140414-ocean-garbage-patch-plastic-pacific-debris/. Accessed 2 Mar 2019.

Zielinski, Seweryn, Camilo M. Botero, and Andrea Yanes. “To clean or not to clean? A critical review of beach cleaning methods and impacts.” Marine pollution bulletin 139 (2019): 390-401.