This week’s Challenge provides an opportunity to promote responsible stewardship practices.
Users of marine waters world-wide must adopt responsible behaviors.
Become an advocate in your part of the ocean eco-system.
Practice for ways to prevent or curtail the spread of invasive species.
End the dumping of marine-animal-strangling fishing lines and organism-harming debris
into oceans, bays, and estuaries.
Photo Challenge for this week: “Signs“
Related Resources:
Marine Debris Impacts- http://water.epa.gov/type/oceb/marinedebris/md_impacts.cfm
Ten Things You Should Know About Marine Debris– http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/marinedebris/
Oh yeah…promote away, Jane. Good one!
Hi Debbie-
I’m curious-
On Nicaraguan beaches, what are the impacts of beach debris and improper disposal of fishing line?
-Jane
We’re so much more aware of what we can inadvertently bring along with us than we once were. Keep up the campaigning!
Jane, the impact affects the turtles. One of the largest arribadas ( turtle arrivals) occurs on a beach called La Flor. Beach debris, old fishing nets, and other garbage can trap the turtles trying to make their entrance onto the beach to lay their eggs. Plus, then when the baby turtles hatch, they have to make their way out to the ocean through garbage, old nets, and many predators. Few of them survive the treacherous journey.
We have similar problems and signs in the Great Lakes area.
janet
Janet, good to know that signs are in place. I’m more and more convinced that awareness is an important first step in changing nature-harming practices.
Funny, my husband is watching one of those bass-catching competitions on TV. The ad is for “Mighty Bite” a silicon bait fish that looks, tastes, and sounds like a wounded bait fish…
I asked why not just use a real bait fish… less impacting to nature if left behind. He said that real bait is not allowed in the competition. How insane is that?!
-Jane
Are there any organized beach clean-up days in Nicaragua? If manpower is limited, how good would it be if beach clean-ups could be organized to coincide with the arribadas and breeding season.
Stop Nicaraguan Arribadas Pollution = SNAP There you go Debbie, your new mission 😉
-Jane
Thumbs up 😉 to that!
Very weird, Jane!
True- I wonder if the silicon, plastic, artificial bait and tackle businesses should be required to inform consumers of the proper disposal of their products to avoid harm to nature systems…
Or a lobby for using real bait in fishing competitions….