Obvious though it is, preventing the “just throw it overboard” mentality of many people is not easy. It’s a habit. They’ve been doing it for decades.

This applies to old fishing nets, trash, plastic bags and liquids. Only recently this article appeared which made an impact around the world.

For instance plastic bags are ingested not only by whales but also by sea turtles mistaking them for food. Liquids chemicals can contain toxins that kill fish or marine life. Even most sunscreens cause such damage (see the special section on this site).

Changing this behaviour is part of the ‘engage your inhabitants’ programme that any island wishing to go blue needs to implement. Demonstrating the financial damage done with an acquatrail calculation is a powerful tool to include. See funding and marine positive certification.