A series of illustrations I created at Nice and Serious, after watching the BBC's Blue Planet series, to raise awareness about single-use plastics ending up in the sea, and therefore affecting marine life. I used iconic sea-related movie posters as I needed to create something that would grab people’s attention, amidst all the hundreds of other messages / videos / campaigns that fill up our newsfeeds every day. I wanted to create images that would stick in people’s minds. Most people are familiar with the iconic Jaws poster. Everyone loves Nemo and Free Willy. No one wants to see their favourite characters drowning in a sea of rubbish, but that’s the reality that marine life is currently facing.
If we keep going at this rate, there’ll be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. The UK has made plans to abolish plastic waste by 2040, but that’s 22 more years worth of damage. Organisations like Greenpeace are proposing a ban on all single-use plastic by 2025. We can get behind that. Can you?
Entanglement in fishing nets is the biggest threat facing whales, dolphins & other marine life. ‘Ghost fishing’ is what happens when fishing gear has been lost, dumped or abandoned and fish are caught without anyone profiting from it. Fish caught in the nets die and in turn attract scavengers, which get caught in the same net. Hundreds of miles of nets and lines get lost in the ocean every year, affecting already depleted fish stocks. You can help by supporting organisations like Ghost Fishing, who remove abandoned fishing gear and supply it to Bracenet, who use it to create wearable products
Love Nemo? So do we. According to the National Geographic, 80% of the ocean’s plastic comes from land-based activities, ending up in marine habitats and affecting species like our beloved clown fish. So start saying no to single-use plastics! You can help by cutting down your plastic consumption and supporting campaigns like Worldly Cup, who are asking pubs & bars to ditch disposables in favour of re-usables
