"When I was a child I was raised in an East Coast fishing village and I recall never seeing any plastic on the beaches. ."
Captain Paul Watson
Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Our mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.
What specific event or experience triggered your passion and interest to get involved with the plastic pollution problem?
I was writing about this many years ago and I remember my articles being dismissed as nonsense. I was told that I was an alarmist and that my concerns had absolutely no scientific credibility.
When I was a child I was raised in an East Coast fishing village and I recall never seeing any plastic on the beaches. Fishermen used glass balls and when we found one it was treasured. Today on that same beach, plastic litters the beach daily and people have adapted to this pollution.
It has been a long and difficult struggle to raise awareness of the threat that plastic poses to living organisms in the ocean. It is a more insidious form of pollution than petra-chemicals and it has been killing birds, turtles, fish and marine mammals in increasing numbers over the years.
Link to 2001 article in Ocean Realm.
Perreault Magazine - 104 -