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Fishers' involvement is crucial. Image: WDC/JTF

When porpoises and people overlap

We're funding a project in Hong Kong that's working with fishing communities to help save...

Mindful conservation – why we need a new respect for nature

'We should look at whales and dolphins as the indigenous people of the seas -...
A dolphin called Arnie with a shell

Dolphins catch fish using giant shell tools

In Shark Bay, Australia, two groups of dolphins have figured out how to use tools...
Common dolphins at surface

Did you know that dolphins have unique personalities?

We all have personalities, and between the work Christmas party and your family get-together, perhaps...
Leaping harbour porpoise

The power of harbour porpoise poo

We know we need to save the whale to save the world. Now we are...
Holly. Image: Miray Campbell

Meet Holly, she’s an incredible orca leader

Let me tell you the story of an awe-inspiring orca with a fascinating family story...
Humpback whale. Image: Christopher Swann

A story about whales and humans

As well as working for WDC, I write books for young people. Stories; about the...
Risso's dolphin at surface

My lucky number – 13 years studying amazing Risso’s dolphins

Everything we learn about the Risso's dolphins off the coast of Scotland amazes us and...

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder… and the stomachs of unsuspecting wildlife

As Valentine’s Day is approaching and couples primp for their special date night, are they doing so at the expense of our environment?  From facial cleansers to toothpaste, abrasives are prevalent in “beauty” items to exfoliate and ensure that we are putting our best face forward.  But what makes these products feel coarse to the touch are a lot rougher on the environment than it is on your face. 

Micro-beads, or micro-plastics, are often used in products to provide the grainy texture which helps to exfoliate.  As they are nearly invisible, many do not realize the major role they are playing in wreaking havoc when you wash them down your drain.  Serving as a magnet for nasty chemicals like hydrocarbons and flame retardants, these beads, inevitably end up in our oceans.

Once in our waterways and oceans, everything from fish to birds and worms ingest these plastics.  This is how the nasty hitchhiking chemicals on these micro- beads are introduced into the food web and “bio-accumulate”, or build up.  As they build up they become toxic, impacting everything from fish to whales to humans that consume the contaminated prey lower on the food chain. 

While many have been aware of the issue for some time, regulations preventing the use of micro-plastics have been slow to develop.  This week, however, lawmakers in state of New York put forward legislation that would ban the sale of products containing micro-plastics in their state.  WDC applauds Assemblyman Robert K. Sweeney of Suffolk County and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for proposing this action which we hope, is the first, in a series of many.  The more states that ban the use of micro-plastics will mean a great reduction in the bio-waste and micro-plastics in our waterways and oceans. 

There are also things that individuals can do to help stop the problem, because, as they say, there is an app for that – you’re only a download away from finding out if the products you chose are micro bead free!  Please help us in our fight to protect our oceans, whales and ourselves by making sure your date night is also a safe night for the environment.