What Has Been Accomplished So Far!

The following are only a few of the things that have been done to protect our oceans and marine life. Feel free to share with others any additional ones that you maybe aware of in a reply:

1972 – Marine Mammal Protection Act was the first act by Congress to call specifically for an ecosystem approach to natural resource management and conservation. MMPA "prohibits the taking of marine mammals, and enacts a moratorium on the import ,export, and sale of any marine mammals, along with any marine mammal part or product within the United States”. It was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on October 21, 1972.

1978 – New Zealand’s Parliament passed a Marine Mammals Protection Act.

1988 -The Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act (MARPOL) made it illegal “for any U.S. vessel or land-based operation to dispose of plastics at sea”. It was part of the Annex V international treaty.

Annex V – An international agreement adopted by countries “representing at least half of the shipping fleet tonnage in the world”… “Prohibits the dumping of plastics anywhere in the oceans”

2000 – President Bill Clinton signed an Executive Order 13158 on May 26^th 2000 which brought together “diverse sites and programs” that created a framework of “national system of MPA’s (National Marine Protected Areas) to improve conservation of the nation’s marine ecosystems, cultural resources, and fisheries”.  

Plastic Industry – Is reclaiming plastic pellets that are lost in production and investigating ways to create degradable plastics.

Researchers – Are working with two types of plastics, photodegradable and biodegradable – neither type solves the problem for they still breakup into smaller pieces that can be consumed by marine life who mistake them for food.

16 states have passed laws that six-pack holders must be biodegradable

Beach cleaning – Is being done by coastal cleanup volunteers who collect trash on the beaches and remove it from the marine cycle.

There has been an effort in recent years to educate consumers on the affects of plastics to the ecosystem but more needs to be done.

More consumers are becoming aware of the need to recycle but again more recycling needs to be done.

References: 

 http://www.mpa.gov/resources/publications/factsheets/