The 'perfect' product- Plastic UR-Allie

Oceanic food chart

   In the modern world we favor expendable and disposable chemically produced materials over reusable ones. In a fast pace world where saving time is of the most importance, we depend heavily on convenience and efficiency. As we blindly develop and mold a world more catered to our wants, we forget about all the other species that we also depend on in our ecosystems.


  Plastics are chemically produced materials that never completely breakdown. They're cheap, overproduced and easily accessible making them the perfect market for consumption. Globally, we rely on these materials for everyday use and in turn we overproduce it in mass quantities to be distributed. In addition- nowadays we are creating thicker, stronger and more durable plastics to accommodate us. We have introduced a substance in abundance into the world that can not be naturally broken down and properly disposed. The plastic trend has become more and more popular amongst individuals all over the world. Studies in 2010 have concluded that there's an estimated 8.8 million tons of plastic waste in our ocean. Unfortunately our oceans are regularly used as a disposal route for the extreme over pollution of plastics. Leaving the sea creatures confused and often tangled up in it. Many species consume large amounts of materials that cannot naturally breakdown forcing the animals digestive system to shut down resulting in deformities and/or death.

It takes plastic about 400 years to break down the toxic chemical waste. Here are some examples of marine life injury from pollution.

If you were wondering how long some of your products take to degrade in water

   For my independent research project I want to focus on the effects of pollution on marine wildlife. I want to particularly spotlight the relationship of species of fish and consumption of plastics in their stomachs. I would like to investigate if the species type and typical habitat (i.e bottom dwellers, pelagic, ect.) influence the probability of plastic ingestion. We know what can result in the consumption of plastic and other non biodegradable products, but I want to try to understand if the type of fish and its remote location in the waters is relevant to consumption. For example, fish species that tend to stay closer to the surface vs. bottom feeders.

  I plan to visit a series of 3 different locations at various times of the day over the course of the semester to scope the area for recently dead fish. Each locations environmental data will be recorded as well as other important measurements. Once I discover the fish I will take photographs, measure and identify the species of fish. My method is to recover the remains of the fish's stomach and further examine the contents. The goal of this collected data is to reveal a correlation between the species and amount of plastics recovered.

   Perhaps people have always revolved their lifestyle around simplification and ease. Plastic is seen by many people as simple and easy. However, plastic is taking a strong toll on the environment and the effects are devastating. Reuse and recycle when you can, a fishes life may depend on it.




Macklin, Malorie. “Is It Really Worth the Convenience? 6 Ways Plastic Is Harming Animals, the Planet and Us.” One Green Planet, 23 Nov. 2017, www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/how-plastic-is-harming-animals-the-planet-and-us/.

Lonne, Torben. “How Ocean Pollution Impacts Marine Life-and All of Us.” MarineSafe, 3 May 2016, www.marinesafe.org/blog/2016/04/18/how-ocean-pollution-impacts-marine-life-and-all-of-us/.