“It’s a photo that I wish didn’t exist but now that it does I want everyone to see it.” That is how the Wildlife Photographer of the Year finalist behind this photo describes his image, which illustrates the threat facing our seas.
Taken while snorkeling off the coast of Indonesian island Sumbawa last year, Nature Photographer Justin Hofman managed to catch the intricate moment a tiny seahorse clung to a cosmetic swab. It’s a stark reminder of the crisis facing much of our wildlife. “If you look at the picture, there are actually some white blobs in the background,” Hofman said. “And those white blobs are actually plastic bags.”
Speaking to The Verge, he summarized his thoughts on the photo:
I wish that this scene didn’t happen every day, that’s the thing. I spend a lot of time underwater all over the world, and I see trash and debris and human waste all over the place.
Having given tours in the wild for years, Hofman cites being part of the competition as a way to bring a much larger audience into the conversation he says he’s been having for years. The plastic that now pollutes our seas is dangerous for sealife; many fish die from ingesting too much plastic, or by becoming entangled in trash. This Washington Post article claims that by 2050, there will be a greater mass of plastic than fish in the ocean.
Winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest will be announced on October 17, and the exhibition starts October 20 in London at the Natural History Museum. You can see more of Hofman's work on his Instagram.
For more information about what you can do to help our world's oceans, visit SeaLegacy.
Photo used with permission.
[via The Verge]
From some perspectives every good thing, "... needs to happen through legislation." Legislation is unfortunately the child of politics which; varies like the weather, is both complex to get right, & limited by locality. You can have a national standard for seat belts only because highways are interstate projects. A Q-tip or milk carton is not a thing that is subject to national legal standardization. In fact the opposite is true, it is subject to endless innovation pushed by the profit motive.
Fortunately against your presumptive "of course," another method exists: individual/collective action. Packaging is subject to consumer choice, consumer choice is subject to force of education, activism, and social pressure. Ie check out the seahorse - don't buy plastic Q-tips!
The sort of petty tyrant thinking that sees everything as adjustable under law is understood as very dangerous, and hence very unpopular. As it is less useful to legislate against popular choice than to reform what is popular so that legislation is not required, that road should always be first consideration, or at least held as a good option.
The sentence says: LEGISLATION is ... limited by locality. This perfectly clear subject predicate pair is then reinforced by an example of non-local product legislation: seatbelts. This is what is known as offering a clear example as a courtesy to the reader. Outlawing plastic packaging would require every state legislature to do so because the Federal government does not have that power. It would therefore have to be done on the local level. It would NOT be reasonable, it would be impossible. Go visit Alabama!
Your tortured misinterpretation of what was perfectly clear then devolves to you talking about you. I don't care about you, I care about facts and language.
We cannot nationally legislate paper milk cartons, because it would be unconstitutional. Please don't bother with an inane reply about yourself. And poo on your juvenile thumb down, it's as inane as your confused reply.
I'm not interested in your pissing contest, thanks.
He needed to clean his ears! lol
Sad indeed..but not necessarily for the seahorse. Old offshore platforms and shipwrecks can be good habitats for sea creatures. However the plight of the seas is severe. So much for rules of the commons. Dumping, overfishing are the norm.
Most lens and camwras are made of plastics, isn't it! Even film...or the Computef or phone we are using.... LOL