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There’s like a lot of fish in the ocean. No one is certain exactly how many, so I polled two people on this and here’s what they said:
Cass: trillions? billions?
Google: Published today, a 10-year study of the diversity, distribution and abundance of life in the world’s oceans attempts just that. The Census of Marine Life, which hopes to paint a baseline of marine life, estimates there are more than 230,000 species in our oceans
Neither really answered my question, but suffice it to say, it’s a lot of fucking fish. Like we aren’t talking about 130 fish.
It doesn’t matter how many there are, because by the year 2050, there will be so much plastic in the ocean, it will weigh more than all the fish who call that place home combined.
THAT’S RIGHT FISH TAKE THAT THE OCEANS ARE OURS.
The news comes from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, about how damaging plastic is to the environment.
Given projected growth in consumption, in a business-as-usual scenario, by 2050 oceans are expected to contain more plastics than fish (by weight), and the entire plastics industry will consume 20% of total oil production, and 15% of the annual carbon budget.
Many news outlets have taken to calling this finding SHOCKING and ASTOUNDING and TERRIFYING, because I guess they haven’t been paying attention to all of humanity since, idk, the Industrial Revolution.
Frankly, I’m fucking surprised there’s even still water in the ocean.
[Via The Ellen MacArthur Foundation]
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