Boating Wildlife Aware Week: How and why we should stop plastic in the ocean

10-14 June 2024 marks Boating Wildlife Aware Week. This is a Green Blue/RYA initiative which offers a chance for boaters to learn more about best practice when experiencing wildlife out on the water and how to best protect it too.

For the long-term preservation of the diverse marine environments across Northern Ireland, it is vital that we all take responsibility of the areas that we enjoy while sailing and boating across the country.

It is therefore vital that we do our best to tackle the issue of plastic pollution.

The Plastic Problem

In recent decades, a rise in the use of single use plastics has led to a major rise in plastic pollution.

Currently, there is an area of plastic in the Pacific Ocean which is three times the size of France- something indicative of the truly global contribution to plastic pollution. 

Speaking on the issue, local environmental scientist Sam Purdon said: “Plastic effects everywhere in the ocean- It enters the ocean all over the world.

“It can enter mainly from cities via the river network and the drainage network which people dropping litter in towns maybe don’t realise.

“Once it’s in the sea it can go wherever the tide takes it.”

Plastic pollution can be hugely harmful to marine life, with many animals ingesting the plastic or becoming tangled in it.

How to do your bit

Tackling the issue of plastic pollution may seem impossible but it is important that sailors and boaters across Northern Ireland each do their bit to fight the problem.

Sam Purdon spoke passionately about this saying: “The key is not to feel overwhelmed and do your bit to your local area- look after your local patch.

“It’s volunteering time (through things such as litter picks) and it gives you a feel-good factor."

Removing plastics before they even reach the sea is especially important when trying to eliminate microplastics (plastics less than 5mm in size), as these are often formed when larger plastics enter the ocean and degrade over time. When plastics degrade to this size they can pose just as big of an issue to local wildlife, however they are often invisible to the naked eye and therefore much more difficult to remove.

At RYA Northern Ireland, we are trying to be as proactive as possible to protect the environment and when hosting events such as the upcoming 2024 Youth Championships and Home Countries Conference, we aim to eliminate the use of single use plastics completely.

Check out The Green Blue today to hear more tips on how you can make your boating practices sustainable.