serioushypotheses

[serioushypotheses]

Why Reusable Straws Aren’t Saving The Ocean

In fairness, the title of this post may be misleading. Any form of environmental help is needed, and buying reusable or biodegradable straws definitely makes a dent. However, I got curious after I saw all of those “save the turtles” or “save the fishes” posts on Instagram, you know, those posts with those girls who have those enormous-ass metal straws. How much of an impact is this straw trend doing?

Actually, netting that fishermen use to catch all the fish you see in the supermarket is WAY more harmful than plastic straws. Overall, plastic straws make up less than 1% of the plastic debris you find in the ocean. 

Fishing fleets abandon so much debris, especially plastic commercial fishing netting. Commercial fishing fleets usually lose around 700,000 tons of netting, fishing lines, a tape each year. That’s way more than the straws that people are championing (Although it’s a great start!). This netting debris usually makes up right around 10% of the plastic debris that’s in the ocean.

Netting is especially harmful, because it hurts so much marine wildlife. The netting floats below the surface for years, and it breaks down over time in a slurry of plastic waste that affects the food chain. 

The netting can be huge as well. Netting from commercial fishing operations include fish farms that have been abandoned or destroyed, as well as nets thrown overboard from boats. Recently, one HUGE net was taken apart off the coast of the Aeolian Islands (near Sicily). It weighed 3 tons and was made out of nylon, and it was around 650 feet long. Nylon is often used in nets because it’s strong and helps support heavy weight, allowing fishermen to get a large quantity of product. The net was from an old fish farm that was destroyed during a large storm. Nets like these are common all over the world, and are hurting fragile ecosystems and the marine food chain.

I think one solution is to tag nets. I think a good idea would be to put tracking devices on nets, so that way if they’re tossed overboard or discarded, they can be located and returned to the company tied to that specific net. This would keep larger corporations accountable, and they could be fined. I think this would need to be implemented by the government (United States), as well as other governments that have large fishing industries. 

Also, making sure fish are humanely killed rather than suffocated (A much cheaper and quicker way to kill fish, allowing companies to have more “goods”). This way the fish can last waaaay longer and thus reducing the amount of fish caught, meaning less nets!! 

Hopefully solutions come up soon, i’m not trying to trash on your reusable straw dreams but I also think focusing on nets is also important too!! Love all of you guys lol.