ThePADDLER 12 Marine litter is a big hate of yours – tell us more about your thoughts on marine litter…
It makes me sick knowing that there is so much plastic in our seas. Doing nothing and standing on the sideline is maybe even worse than dumping garbage into the water. It is by now a habit to me, my family and my fellow paddlers to pick up trash from our sea. I even teach my young kids to pick up at least one bit of garbage when walking or playing on the beach. I have picked up trash whilst kayaking for years but after a while and with some ideas from the people of the Flanders Marine Institute I started taking pictures of it. With sharing those pictures on social media I’m hoping that other paddlers around the world may take an example and do the same. I’m hoping that not only paddlers but also other sea lovers (tourists, hikers, boaters...) will follow this example. I’m not just talking about the ‘visible’ plastic, our oceans are also polluted by micro plastics. That’s maybe even a bigger threat because it easily gets into the food chain. Will I clean the ocean on my own? Certainly not, but I will give it at least a try. It will take years to convince people to use less plastic in their daily lives and to be honest, I’m also a bit guilty of that matter.
Why is it important to protect our seas?
I’m a sea lover in the first place, a sea kayaker in the second place and therefore important to keep our playground clean. Not only because the sea looks better without trash and plastic, but to keep what’s living in the sea healthy. Have you ever seen those videos and images with dead birds, dead fish and marine mammals caused by plastic? That is why it’s so important. The seas are teeming with life although we mostly cannot see what’s living under the surface. It is up to us and to the following generations to protect and to conserve this, not to destroy it.
What do you think we can do as the paddling community to help the marine (or even, river or lake) litter problem?
Start by using less plastic in our daily lives and of course, when on (or in) the water, pick up trash along the way and convince others to do the same. Like most things, it begins with ourselves. Planning beach clean ups for example is a very good idea, but it should not stop by helping out just one day in a year.
Spreading the word by showing other people when returning from a trip what you have picked up on the water is a good start – you should see their faces. Try to convince others, we are stronger together! Take care of each other on the water, and don’t forget to take care of our seas also!