If you are anything like me, your social media feed may be flooded with the dire state of our oceans. While this fact is rather unsettling, all hope is not lost. In fact, there are three simple lifestyle changes you can make that would have an immediate positive impact on our oceans. Switch to […]
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Tag: Clean Ocean Initiative
Don’t Release Your Balloons!
Here at Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center we participate in the Clean Ocean Initiative. Each time marine debris is spotted during the cruise we collect it and record the day, weather conditions, as well as take a picture of the debris. Balloons are our most collected piece of debris. It is important to […]
Working Towards a Greener Summer
It’s no secret that every summer, thousands of people from numerous different areas will flock to New Jersey beaches to enjoy the weather and take advantage of all the state has to offer. NJ’s vast coastal areas are one of the state’s greatest resources and the source of plenty of revenue each year. But […]
Plastic Straw Epidemic
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Almost everyone in America is aware that plastic is contaminating our oceans and marine life. However, we are faced with detrimental effects if this issue is not resolved. Even though so many people have been made aware not many people are acting to change the outcome. Plastic straws have recently been brought into the spotlight […]
Plastic Debris
Plastic is something we use mindlessly everyday for cooking, storage, travel, amongst many others. As a material it is lightweight, durable, strong, and cheap to manufacture. It’s no wonder our world is so blind for the horrors that plastic causes outside of our small bubble of a world. The same reasons we love using plastics […]
A World of Plastic
Marine debris is any man-made solid material that has been directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed or abandoned into the marine environment (NOAA, What is marine debris?). 60% to 80% of all marine debris is composed of plastic (Derraik 2002). Plastics are lightweight, durable, and cheap synthetic organic polymers. This has allowed them to […]
Effects of Marine Debris on Whales
As many of you have already seen on the news or read online, far more than thirty sperm whales have washed ashore in Europe since the beginning of last year. Four of the thirteen whales found in Germany were discovered to have large amounts of plastic waste in their stomachs. The marine debris included a […]