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Calls for plastic ban to save oceans

News
 

An artistic impression made of plastic bottles displayed during the World Ocean day held at Mombasa Beach. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

Kenya on Wednesday joined the rest of the world to mark Oceans Day, to raise awareness on benefits derived from the ocean.

Along Kenyan Coast beaches, several marine enthusiasts, government agencies and school parties took part in beach clean-up activities as part of events to observe the day whose theme this year was 'Revitalisation: Collective Action for the Oceans.'

Maritime regulator, Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) rolled out a campaign on marine litter awareness covering the whole of the Kenyan Coastline where three tonnes of plastic waste was collected from beaches.

"Marine litter is a global concern and it is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastics than there is fish in the ocean," KMA Director-General Robert Njue said.

"The marine plastic litter presents a myriad of challenges. It is costly and dangerous to safety of navigation, harmful to marine life through trapping, choking and entanglement, impacts on human health and pollution,'' he said.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Principal Research Scientist and Head of Marine and Coastal Research Centre based at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Dr Mohamed Omar said the World Ocean Day shows the role of the ocean on planet earth.

"Our oceans regulate climate. They serve as an important sync for carbon and harbours very high level of biodiversity and is depended upon by big global population where over 60 per cent of human population relies on seas for daily lives," he said.

Dr Omar, however, said the oceans continue to face lots of threats ranging from over-exploitation of resources through overfishing and pollution.

''We are seeing intensified interests in tapping into the Blue Economy, which presents some immense benefits like tourism, fishing, mineral exploitation under water and energy,'' Dr Omar said.

He said pollution remains a serious threat to the survival of a cleaner ocean.

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