Plastic bag research turns into shark story

(very poor quality camera phone picture taken by Oceanic Defense)

Plastic Bags Turns Into Shark Story
by: Oceanic Defense

Costa Mesa, California
This weekend members of Oceanic Defense toured local grocery chains on the west coast of California observing customer behavior and the usage of plastic bags vs. reusable canvas. We are collecting data for an upcoming campaign in response to The Great Pacific Garbage Patch series we have been running lately.

As we do with most of our tours we take a quick trip through the sea food section to see if there are any questionable items for sale and talk to the staff.

Today as we were finishing our data collection at Albertson's located on Harbor Blvd in Costa Mesa, CA I ducked into the sea food department to find shark in their refrigerator case: "Fresh Thresher Shark Steaks $5.99/LBS" (see photo above).

I asked the clerk behind the counter about the sale of shark meat. He was very friendly and said they did sell a bit of it and asked if I had ever tried it? To which I answered "absolutely not sharks are endangered." He didn't know where the sharks came from or how they were caught. I again told him that sharks are endangered and they shouldn't be selling any sort of shark products. He was surprised to hear the stats and looked and acted genuinely concerned.

About Thresher Sharks
Thresher shark populations have dropped more than 67%. Their numbers are considered "data deficient" by the World Conservation Union (IUCN)

Data Deficient means there is inadequate information to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution and/or population status. This species is on its way to recovery in waters off the coast of California due largely to fishery management measures and is now considered "Near Threatened" in this region. Outside the US, threshers continue to be one of the many sharks heavily fished and finned.

If conclusive information is not available to prove sustainability of the Thresher Shark it should be removed from ALL stores until proven otherwise. Near Threatened status should be considered off limits until sustainable numbers can be accurately reported.

Oceanic Defense will be contacting Albertson's on Monday morning and requesting that they remove all shark products from every store and show the community that they are indeed responsible corporate citizens?

Albertson's website says: "Being a good corporate citizen is an ongoing responsibility."

We will find out shortly.

Contact information:
You may contact the store involved directly in the sale of shark:

2300-C HARBOR BLVD
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(949) 515-7227

Contact Albertson's corporate directly

Ocean of Plastic

Facts:

• some areas of the ocean contain 30 times more plastic than plankton.
• 1,000,000 plastic shopping bags are used each minute globally.
• residual plastics are now being found in humans because we consume contaminated fish.
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch floats between The USA and Japan and is 2 times the size of Texas. Some portions of the patch are 90 feet thick.

U.N. environment chief urges global ban on plastic bags

WASHINGTON — Single-use plastic bags, a staple of American life, have got to go, the United Nations' top environmental official said Monday.

Although recycling bags is on the rise in the United States, an estimated 90 billion thin bags a year, most used to handle produce and groceries, go unrecycled. They were the second most common form of litter after cigarette butts at the 2008 International Coastal Cleanup Day sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy, a marine environmental group.

"Single use plastic bags which choke marine life, should be banned or phased out rapidly everywhere. There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme. His office advises U.N. member states on environmental policies.

Steiner's declaration accompanied a UNEP report that identifies plastic as the most pervasive form of ocean litter. According to the report, "Plastic, the most prevalent component of marine debris, poses hazards because it persists so long in the ocean, degrading into tinier and tinier bits that can be consumed by the smallest marine life at the base of the food web."

The ban is already being tested in China, where retailers giving out thin bags can be fined up to $1,464. According to one nationwide survey, 40 billion fewer plastic bags were given out in grocery stores after the law's enactment. In addition, Ireland managed to cut single-use plastic bag consumption 90 percent by levying a fee on each bag that consumers use.

In the United States, only San Francisco has completely banned plastic bags. Los Angeles will do so in 2010. Also, Washington, D.C.'s city council is set to vote on a five-cent-a-bag tax later this month. On first reading, the bill passed unanimously. Similar proposals have failed in New York and Philadelphia.

Keith Christman, senior director for the plastics division of the American Chemistry Council, responded that the term "single-use" is misleading because most people actually reuse plastic bags, "for example, to line their trash cans."

"A ban on plastic bags could also cause some unintended consequences," he said. In particular, the increased demand for paper bags would double greenhouse emissions and create "a dramatic increase in waste," Christman said.

Leading U.S. plastic bag manufacturers aim to increase the recycled content of plastic bags to 40 percent by 2015, he added. That would reduce plastic waste by 300 million pounds a year.

"Recycling is what we see as the best approach for the U.S.," Christman said. "Plastic is just too valuable to waste."

Source: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/69691.html