Written by Sarah Paulin
Many different species are negatively effected by the plastic pollution that makes up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Albatross is one of the largest seabirds that inhabits the Southern and North Pacific oceans and of the twenty-one known species, nineteen are considered endangered and two are critically endangered.
Their place on the endangered list is due to harvesting feathers, introduced species, pollution, overfishing, and long-line fishing.They generally eat squid, fish, and krill by scavenging or diving and have a lifespan upwards of fifty years.
There is a direct correlation between the increase in plastic in the Pacific Ocean and the increase of Albatross deaths each year. According to Discovery News, the foraging patterns of the most remote species of Albatross, the Laysan who inhabit the Kure Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, ingest ten times more plastic than Albatross species living near largely populated cities. When plastic is ingested, the birds suffer a decrease in body weight due to an inability to properly digest their natural diet with the plastic obstruction.
Many times the parents will regurgitate plastic pieces for their chicks to feed on.Since the birds already have such a low reproduction rate, females will have only one chick every two to three years, any impact on their population could be devastating, leading the species further towards extinction.Because the pieces of plastic are becoming smaller due and more confetti-like, the chicks are less likely to cough them up. The plastic becomes lodged in their intestinal tract and they are more likely to die.
Fishing boats pose another huge threat to the Albatross species. National Geographic states that more than 100,000 Albatross birds are killed each year by open sea fishing nets and longlines. More environmentally friendly fishing methods have been proposed but have yet to be implemented.
By cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the Sea Bird Adventure will be eliminating much of the plastic debris. This way, seabirds, such as the Albatross, will have more area for proper diving and fishing and will not be at risk of ingesting life-threatening plastic and feeding it to their chicks.
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Cleaning up the Pacific Garbage PatchKris Land
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Instead of bottled water get a reusable container to carry water. Also you can get a filter to make your home tap taste more like bottled water. It is definitely more cost efficient.
1944: Camano Class Light Cargo Ship was laid down for the US Army as FS-289 at Wheeler Shipbuilding in Whitestone, NY.
1945: Delivered to US Army.
1950: Acquired by the US Navy on July 1, 1950 and placed in service as USNS New Bedford (T-AKL-17).
1954: The movie, Mister Roberts, was made on the USNS New Bedford (T-AKL-17).
1955 - 1963: Used as a cargo supply ship for the Texas Towers, a network of advanced radar stations located off the Eastern Seaboard. In 1957, Capt. Sixto Mangual was commander of the AKL-17 and in 1961 it was rechristened the USNS New Bedford. The New Bedford, sailing out of State Pier, was keeping vigil when Texas Tower No. 4 callapsed off the New Jersey coast during a January 1961 nor'easter.
1963: Reclassified as Miscellaneous Unclassified (IX-308).
1971: The New Bedford (IX-308) served as a Torpedo Test Firing Vessel in the Puget Sound area.
1994: Ceremony in New Bedford.
1995: The ship was struck from the Naval Register on April 4.
2004: The Sea Bird's current disposition is a tuna long liner (fishing boat) out of San Diego, CA.
2006: Design of the Tesla Turbine began on June 11, 2006. The Sea Bird was sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service for commercial service.
2007: The Sea Bird was drydocked for renovations.
2008: The Sea Bird setting sail to Sea-Tac in Seattle, WA.
2009 - 2010: The Sea Bird is currently docked at Seattle Sea-Tac.
