Target: Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, London, United Kingdom
Goal: Enforce and strengthen penalties for illegal plastic dumping and abandoned fishing gear that strangles, starves, and poisons marine wildlife.
A sweeping global assessment maps how plastic harms ocean animals through four pathways: ingestion, entanglement, toxin-laden particles that animals absorb, and plastics that ferry dangerous chemicals such as PFAS and methylmercury. Hotspots show up where plastic overlaps with dense marine life and heavy fishing, turning vibrant waters into death traps for seabirds, turtles, marine mammals, and fish.
Animals are found with stomachs packed with plastic, gasping on beaches after suffocation, or wrapped in derelict nets that cut into flesh and prevent feeding. Lost and discarded fishing gear—“ghost gear”—drifts for months or years, continuing to trap, wound, and drown animals. Plastics also act as rafts for pollutants, delivering a double blow: physical injury and chemical contamination.
Illegal discharges and gear abandonment fuel this cruelty. Real accountability—hefty fines, vessel blacklisting, license suspensions, and criminal referrals where appropriate—must accompany prevention. Sign below to demand thorough gear-marking and retrieval rules, zero tolerance for plastic discharges at sea, and targeted enforcement where risk is highest. The time to deter, investigate, and punish these offenses is now.
PETITION LETTER:
Secretary-General Dominguez,
A new global analysis shows marine animals suffering along multiple fronts—ingesting plastic, becoming entangled in ghost gear, and absorbing chemicals that plastics carry or leach. These harms concentrate in busy fishing corridors and biologically rich mid-latitude belts, where derelict gear and illegal plastic discharges can turn thriving ecosystems into killing fields.
Animals have been discovered with bellies packed with plastic shards, unable to feed, while others are found strangled in drifting nets or lines abandoned at sea. Plastics also act as vectors for toxins, exposing wildlife to an insidious double hit: physical injury and chemical contamination. Without firm deterrence, the cruelty and ecological damage will escalate.
We urge the IMO to champion robust, enforceable measures and to press flag and port states to apply strong penalties against violators. Please prioritize mandatory gear marking and traceability with required end-of-life retrieval; deposit-return or bond systems to discourage gear abandonment; intensified port State control inspections focused on MARPOL Annex V compliance; rapid information-sharing and a public registry for vessels and operators sanctioned for illegal discharges or derelict gear; and referrals for criminal prosecution where warranted. Target enforcement to documented risk hotspots and require corrective action plans from repeat offenders.
Animals cannot plead for themselves. Meaningful penalties for illegal dumping and ghost gear abandonment—paired with prevention and rapid-response retrieval—will save lives and help restore trust in ocean stewardship. We urge you to act decisively.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: damn_unique
