Plastic fantastic?

The beach at Looe, Cornwall (October 2015). Note the plastic in the seaweed!

Plastic Oceans

Just a tiny fraction of the amount of the litter James and I
cleaned up on Dover beach (January 2015)

It was a bitterly cold early January 2015 morning, and my friend and I met on Dover beach for a quick beach clean. We were only there for approximately fifteen minutes, yet the amount of rubbish that we managed to collect was absolutely astonishing. You name it, we found it. Dummies, discarded fishing tackle, bags, toys, straws, cans... Sadly, this is not an isolated incidence. This international marine litter crisis is not just an eyesore. It is an enormous problem that has the potential to harm you!

8 million tons of plastic enters the oceans every year and the problem is getting worse! (ecowatch, 2015)

The world's top sources of plastic pollution (National Geographic)

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING VIDEO MAY BE DISTURBING AND CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE.

The Age of Plastic

Over summer 2015, this harrowing video of a turtle with a straw wedged in its nose went viral on social media. The boat crew can be seen trying to remove it, while expressing their disgust at how something as simple as a straw can cause so much harm. Unfortunately, this is nothing new. This website shows you that millions of sea birds and creatures will die annual as the result of plastic pollution in the oceans.

Turtles are famously common victims to plastic pollution. . 6 of the 7 sea turtles are considered to be very threatened with extinction. (the 7th has insufficient conservation data). 

Not Just a Wildlife Issue...

Marine plastic pollution can refer to anything from plastic bags to the microbeads found in cosmetics and toiletries. All types of plastic eventually break down before being consumed by marine life. It can bioaccumulate in the marine food chain, before it eventually ends up on your dinner plate- obviously not very good for you! This picture sums it up beautifully. 

The problem with plastic in the oceans- not just an oceanic problem, but a very unhealthy
one for us! (Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University)

What Can I Do?

Reduce your plastic consumption!

All countries in the United Kingdom now have a 5p plastic bag charge; England joined in on the 5th October. Today (20th October 2015) it was announced that Scotland has seen an 80% in plastic bag usage since the charge was introduced, and it is also a similar story in Wales. This is a great start, and if it does a little bit to reduce pollution, then great. However, there is still so much to do, and things you can do to help. 

* Microbeads need to phased out from cosmetics 

* More recycling, less "throw-away" culture

* Reduce the usage of plastic bottles

* Say no to a straw, say no to a plastic bag! 

* Reuse your plastic goods 

* Do a beach clean

 Basically, in the words of the Marine Conservation Society...

Marine Conservation Society

References

ecowatch (2015) 8 Million Metric Tons of Plastic Dumped Into World's Oceans Each Year Available at: http://ecowatch.com/2015/02/16/8-million-tons-plastic-dumped-into-oceans/ Date accessed: 20th October 2015

Killer Seagulls?

A juvenile gull in Looe, Cornwall (October 2015)

Seagull Mania

I am used to "seagulls". I grew up in Dover, and now study and live in Plymouth. Neither towns exactly have a shortage of gulls, so I am more than accustomed to their noises and their seemingly predatory habits of snatching chips and pasties from your hands. 

But, whereas I don't really mind "seagulls", there are plenty of people who despise them. The media is part of the anti-seagull brigade, too, and this year (2015), seagulls seemed to be public enemy number one. Even David Cameron became involved; as this news article from the Guardian shows, he called for a "big conversation" as there were talks of a gull cull.

The Human Impact

Juvenile herring gull outside the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth,
November 2014

What we as a society don't want to acknowledge (or admit?) is that the "thug" behaviour of gulls is a reflection of our own activity. The deaths of the dogs and tortoise as mentioned in the article are, of course, tragic, and the behaviour of the gulls cannot be ignored. However, it is of vital importance to discuss why "seagulls" are behaving the way they are, and how the media has an agenda against them. While the article does talk about the conservation status of herring gulls, there is little attempt to discuss the reasons behind the "aggressive" and "problematic" behaviour of seagulls. 

Black-headed gull (summer
plumage) Fountains Abbey, Ripon,
North Yorkshire, April 2015

Before I move on, "seagulls" don't really exist. The term generally applies to herring gulls and lesser black-backed gull, the two most familiar types of gull. Also, it is vital to address that their numbers are NOT booming, contrary to the hype and misinformation in the media. In fact, just like the majority of British wildlife, both types of gull are in real trouble. The conservation status of the herring and lesser black-backed gulls are Red and Amber respectively, meaning that they have both suffered a significant decline and range reduction (RSPB, n.d.). Of course, there are other species of gull, such as the black-headed and greater black-backed, but they don't receive nearly so much bad publicity. 

As you can see, I have posted a photo of a black-headed gull in Ripon, North Yorkshire, which is very far from the sea. This is a common trend, and is a symptom of what our activities have done to the sea (as little as we would like to admit it). If you've ever had a pasty stolen from your hands by a gull, or seen them hanging around near bins, you would know that they're opportunists, and that's where we as a society have created a problem.

- The WWF states that over 85% of the world's fish stocks are fished to or beyond capacity (2015). This means that the main natural food source of seagulls is removed and the ecosystem is profoundly affected. This means that the gulls are moving further inland to find their food sources (hence why they're in Ripon!).

Herring gulls surround a fishing boat in Looe, Cornwall
(March 2015)

- Poor fishing practices, such as gutting the fish onshore, attracts seagulls and encourages them to scavenge and use their opportunistic behaviors.

- Poor management of waste, particularly food waste attracts seagulls! So by dropping the odd chip on the ground here and there, seagulls are encouraged to scavenge where there are people. Similarly, actively feeding the gulls is not such a good idea as it provides further encouragement.

Gulls are not normally aggressive. Most of the attacks occur in the early summer, which is when their nesting and brooding season is!

No Gull Cull!

So, with regards to the talks of a gull cull, it is a silly idea and would solve very little. 

Before we point at seagulls, we must resolve our own bad behaviour to rectify the issue!

* We MUST discourage people from feeding the seagulls!
* Better management of waste, particularly of food waste
* Tighter regulations on the gutting of fish on the coast
* More sustainable fishing practices- not just to discourage seagulls, but for the entire ecosystem

Therefore, we need to admit that we have made this problem ourselves, and culling them is simply not the answer!

References

The Guardian (2015) Seagull attacks: David Cameron calls for "big conversation" about issue Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jul/18/seagull-attacks-david-cameron-big-conversation Date accessed: 19th October 2015

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (no date supplied) Herring Gull Available at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/h/herringgull/ Date accessed: 19th October 2015; Red, Amber and Green Explained Available at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/status_explained.aspx Date accessed: 19th October 2015

World Wildlife Fund (2015) Overfishing Available at: http://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing Date accessed: 19th  October 2015