Cole Eiriz / Staff Reporter

Ocean animals are going extinct faster than ever, which is why people need to start taking action and doing what they can to help save their lives. In the article written by Janella Hamilton, she writes about how Halloween candy wrappers and Halloween decor contribute to harming ocean life. 

“With fewer ways to seek refuge from warming, ocean-dwelling species are disappearing from their habitats at twice the rate of those on land”, says Christina Nunez, writer on National Geographic, information from the study by nature.  

Most ocean pollution is man-made. Some of the most common examples include “agricultural and industrial waste, chemicals, oil spills, and plastic litter into the ocean waters”, writes Diptarka Ghosh, writer on WorldAtlas.  

A bird experiences the effects of an oil spill

“The harmful toxins and industrial chemicals that enter the oceans get accumulated in the fatty tissues of aquatic fauna and lead to severe damage to their reproductive systems. The sea birds that depend on the marine fishes for their food are also subsequently affected. When humans consume fish as seafood, they are also getting contaminated by these harmful chemicals”, writes Ghosh. 

Fishing nets are one of the biggest contributing factors to the death of ocean organisms. The nets can get trap organisms like dolphins, and make them unable to free themselves. Oil spills contaminate certain bodies of water and poison all organisms near it. 

Huge fishing nets like these are used to catch many fish at once, and although they make the job easier, they can cost the lives of many underwater organisms

“A report by the United Nations has claimed that by 2025, the oceans will contain one ton of plastic for every three tons of fish, and by the year 2050, the plastic waste will outweigh the fishes present in all the oceans of the world”, writes Ghosh. This shows how quickly the oceans are being destroyed and it seems it has not raised much awareness among many people. 

During Halloween, there is millions of small candies being handed out, and the consequence of these candies being given is millions of small plastic pieces being thrown out which leads to more water pollution. “The reality is those little plastics get out into the environment”, says Leah Bendell, a professor in marine ecotoxicology at Simon Fraser University.

Many people do not properly dispose their candy wrappers and throw them outside, which can contribute to ocean pollution 

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says seven million tonnes of plastic go into the waters yearly. 

“Studies of the Pacific Ocean have found microscopic bits of plastic in water samples collected over thousands of square kilometers. Bits of plastic have also been found in fish, squid, shrimp and in B.C., oysters meant for human consumption”, writes Hamilton. Not only does this plastic waste affect the animals, but also the humans consuming them. Helping out the environment also means creating safer food products for humans. 

The ocean is considered home to millions of organisms, and humans should treat it as such. Pollution in these waters contributes to fastening up the pace for organisms going extinct and causes great pain for the animals. It is easy to forget that a place that is not our home is the home to others.  

This topic is important to Gleneagle students because they are the future leaders of the world, and they will be living with the ocean years after, where pollution will be much worse. They will live the effects that this pollution causes to the oceans. Learning about this topic will give a better understanding about how much pollution is in the ocean, how quickly the amount of pollution is progressing, and how they can contribute to fixing it. 

There are many ways to help contribute to helping the ocean, such as: 

  • Keeping carbon emissions low – this includes turning off lights when not in a room, unplugging electronics when not using them, taking public transportation or biking instead of a car, and turning off the tap when brushing teeth. “In the last half-century, the ocean has absorbed 90% of the excess heat created by burning fossil fuels. That’s led to warmer waters, which can affect where fish swim, bleach coral reefs, change how marine species reproduce, speed up sea-level rise, and even alter weather events on land”, writes World Wildlife. Reducing carbon emissions is one of the easiest ways to decrease ocean pollution. 
  • Using single use plastics and use reusable plastics – this includes using reusable water bottles, no plastic bags, less wrappers, and more reusable containers. 
  • Not purchasing animal-dangering products when on vacation – this includes coral jewelry, shark products like shark tooth necklaces, and tortoiseshell accessories. 

In conclusion, humans should be more aware of the rapidly increasing rate of ocean pollution and know exactly how much pollution there is in the ocean. With knowledge of this, people will be motivated to contribute and help make a difference. 

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