Issue 117 - February 2025

Plastic Makes Up Nearly 80 Percent of Waste Found Across U.S. National Parks

Single-Use Plastic Makes up the Majority of Trash Identified for Three Years in a Row, Underscoring Urgent Need for Solutions.

The 5 Gyres Institute published results from its annual Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz, a community science project that tracks waste trends across U.S. national parks and federal lands. According to data submitted by volunteers, plastic is the most prevalent material polluting national parks for the third year in a row, making up nearly 80% of waste recorded in 2024.

Single-use plastic items made up the majority of waste found, with food wrappers, cigarette butts, bottles, bottle caps/rings, film, and bags included in the top 10 identifiable items. Wipes and textiles, both typically made of synthetic fibers, were also common items identified. Notably, unidentifiable plastic fragments made up 28% of the entire study, indicating that existing plastic pollution is breaking down into smaller pieces and contributing to an abundance of microplastic pollution in the environment.

The top brands identified primarily represent tobacco, food, and beverage companies, including Marlboro, Gatorade, Camel, Kirkland, and McDonald’s. When these subsidiary brands are attributed to parent corporations, Philip Morris International, PepsiCo Inc., and Anheuser-Busch InBev emerge as the top corporate polluters. This data aligns with findings from a research paper published earlier this year, co-authored by 5 Gyres, that found 56 companies are responsible for more than 50 percent of branded plastic pollution.

“This year’s findings highlight a stark truth: nearly 80% of waste in national parks is plastic, much of it breaking down into harmful microplastics that endanger ecosystems, drinking water, and public health. To protect these iconic landscapes and ensure their preservation, we need corporate accountability to immediately phase out single-use plastic packaging and transition to a zero-waste, circular model to safeguard future generations,” said Alison Waliszewski, Director of Regional Policy & Program Development at The 5 Gyres Institute.

Volunteers participated in 259 TrashBlitz activations at 58 sites around the country, including National Park Service units and federal lands like Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Forests, and National Historic Landmarks. In total, 12,646 pieces of trash were inputted into the TrashBlitz app and analyzed. TrashBlitz volunteers also sampled data at Yosemite Facelift, an annual cleanup event in Yosemite National Park during which 1,337 volunteers collected 13,211 pounds of trash.

The data from Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz underscores an urgent need to address single-use plastic in national parks. In addition to passing legislation like the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act, which would ban several of the top items found, parks can take steps like increasing access to refill stations, implementing reusable food ware for on-site dining, and expanding waste audits. Park visitors can also play a role in minimizing waste by bringing reusables, packing out all waste, and preparing items thoughtfully by removing things like fruit stickers and bread tags.

“Our Parks are national treasures. It is our responsibility to protect them from the impacts of millions of visitors every year – including plastic waste. This year’s report highlights the staggering volume of waste found in our Parks and underscores the urgency of this mission. Over the years, I’ve fought to reinstate a ban on single-use plastics in these sacred spaces. With Trump’s return to the White House, this fight is far from over. I will continue to work tirelessly to safeguard National Parks, ensuring they remain pristine for future generations of Americans to enjoy,” said U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-5).

The full report from Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz can be found at 5gyres.org/PlasticFreeParks.

About The 5 Gyres Institute

The 5 Gyres Institute (5 Gyres) is a leader in the global movement against plastic pollution with 15 years of expertise in scientific research, engagement, and education. With the original goal of answering a few key scientific questions about ocean plastics, co-founders Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins led 19 research expeditions in all five subtropical gyres, as well as many of the world’s lakes and rivers. 5 Gyres continues to lead with scientific research to drive upstream solutions through education, advocacy, and community building. Learn more at 5gyres.org and @5gyres.

About TrashBlitz

TrashBlitz is a data collection platform and community-focused research project created by The 5 Gyres Institute. The community-based project is designed to engage local stakeholders in measuring plastic pollution and other trash across various cities – from shorelines to riverbeds to urban neighbourhoods – and utilizing data to generate relevant action plans. TrashBlitz provides robust research protocols, a web-based platform that identifies problem products and brands, and a network to bring diverse stakeholders together to co-create solutions to stop plastic pollution at the source.

Related Topics:national parks plastic waste Single-use plastic

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Health & Sustainable Living

The Environmental Movement Is Under Attack And We Must Organize Now

The environmental movement is under attack. The slow, painstaking work of conservation, decades of research, legal protections, and fragile ecosystem recovery, is being undone at an alarming rate. Agencies that exist to safeguard our air, water, ocean, and biodiversity, such as the EPA and NOAA in the USA, are facing cuts and restructuring that threaten their very ability to function, perhaps even to exist. Regulations protecting fragile ecosystems are being rolled back. Policies designed to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change are being abandoned. In many cases, the losses are not just setbacks of months or years of work; they are irreversible.

When a single environmental protection is repealed, we don’t just lose research or funding. We lose entire ecosystems, species, and biodiversity that have taken thousands of years to evolve and stabilize. We lose forests that have stored carbon for centuries. We lose coral reefs that took millennia to build. We lose species we haven’t even discovered yet. We lose the opportunity to understand, protect, and restore life on this planet because once destruction happens, recovery is not always possible.

I was distracting myself by flipping through Instagram reels last night and stumbled on Jane Fonda’s Life Achievement Award acceptance speech. She asked, “Have any of you ever watched a documentary of one of the great social movements, like apartheid or our civil rights movement or Stonewall, and asked yourself, would you have been brave enough to walk the bridge? Would you have been able to take the hoses and the batons and the dogs?” She followed with, “We don’t have to wonder anymore because we are in our documentary moment. This is it. And it’s not a rehearsal. We mustn’t for a moment kid ourselves about what’s happening. This is big-time serious, folks. So let’s be brave.” [YouTube link of entire 8 min speech. Quote above at 7:06]

Then I felt the weight in my gut. And I felt it still this morning. I felt guilty, I promised to excuse myself from further activism for my own mental health. I dedicated my entire career and bankrupted myself on an attempt to save our ocean, biodiversity, the hope for humanity. Knowing that no matter how much I do, it will never be enough.

But I am also reminded of something important: SEVENSEAS Media exists. At the very least, I have built this. I know that SEVENSEAS is an incredible and vital tool in the environmental movement. It’s not just about the ocean; it’s about connection. We are organizing without even realizing we are organizing. We are creating a global community where knowledge is shared freely, where environmental professionals, students, activists, and organizations across nations, cultures, languages, and incomes can support one another.

We cannot rely solely on governments or institutions to protect what we love. The environmental movement has always been about people- individuals and communities working together. SEVENSEAS is part of that solution. We now have over 36,000 subscribers to our weekly newsletter, making us larger and stronger than ever.

I ask everyone reading this: Use this platform. Share your needs. Offer your resources. Publish opportunities. Use SEVENSEAS to connect and organize, and make sure others in our movement are aware. Even if someone subscribes and doesn’t read our emails today, they may need that connection tomorrow. We are in a moment of crisis, and it will likely get worse, but we are not alone. Let’s be brave. Let’s stand together. Let’s keep fighting.

Giacomo Abrusci, Founder & Executive Director

If you wouId like to learn more about SEVENSEAS:

An Open Letter in Support of SEVENSEAS signed by 145 individuals (and counting)
2024 Impact Report
About SEVENSEAS
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Issue 117 - February 2025

SEVENSEAS Travel Magazine – February 2025 – Issue 117

20 Critically Ill Sea Turtles Arrived in Landlocked Missouri for Rehabilitation

Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium (WOW), a world-class nonprofit conservation organization, has welcomed its fifth group of critically ill sea turtles to its cutting-edge Sea Turtle Center. As the only dedicated sea turtle rescue facility in the Midwest. Read more…

Orangutan Haven – A Holistic Approach to Conservation in Sumatra

In the morning mist, a deep rumbling call echoes through the trees as its creator sits perched on a high platform, taking in the sights and sounds of the surrounding forest. Krismon is an adult male Sumatran orangutan who lives with five others of his kind at the Orangutan Haven sanctuary in Pancur Batu, Northern Sumatra. Read more…

Plastic Makes Up Nearly 80 Percent of Waste Found Across U.S. National Parks

Book Suggestion: Discover the World’s Most Breathtaking Dive Destinations with “Ultimate Dive Sites by Todd Thimios”

With 50 of the most amazing dive sites and underwater experiences from around the world, Ultimate Dive Sites is the perfect companion for your next underwater adventure. These extraordinary dive sites are from around the globe for both recreational and professional divers alike. See more…

Tiburon Subsea & Ocean Floor Geophysics Sign MOU to Expand Capabilities of Revolutionary AUV Design

In 2025, Tiburon is launching an initiative to develop its own revolutionary commercial AUV with its patent-pending technology. As a key part of this initiative, Tiburon announces an agreement to incorporate OFG’s Self-Compensating Magnetometer, Hypermag, iCP, and HyperEMF systems. Read more…

OceanWell Secures $11 Million in Series A to Build Deep-Sea Water Farms & Supply Abundant Fresh Water

OceanWell is developing modular deep-sea water farms made up of pods that harness natural hydrostatic pressure at depths of 400 meters for reverse osmosis desalination. Each pod can produce up to one million gallons of fresh water daily, and the modular design allows for scalable projects based on demand. Read more…

Feature Destination:
Oceanic Society – Whale Watching

Whale breaching on an Oceanic Society Whale Watching tour

Join Oceanic Society on an unforgettable whale-watching trip from San Francisco. We offer whale-watching trips to see humpback, blue, and grey whales that are feeding or migrating off of our coast, as well as dolphins and porpoises. Read more…

FEATURE DESTINATION – Journeys With Purpose: Whale Watching Around the World

Intelligent, social and curious, whales have earned themselves a reputation as the friendly giants of our underwater world. Encountering them in the wild is often a transformative experience that many remember for the rest of their lives. Read more…

Feature Destination: Dance With Whales – Join us Swimming with Nature’s Gentle Giants

There are days when we might spend hours in the water with whales, and others where we might not see them at all. This is true for both Tonga and French Polynesia. See more…

Traveling in a Warming World: How ‘Conscious Exploration’ is Putting Heat on Modern Travel Practices

As the planet heats up, so does our desire to travel. Travel and hospitality industries have broken new ground this year, with people of all ages embracing domestic and international experiences in record numbers. Read more…

Landmark Study Using 21 Years of New England Aquarium’s MCAF Data Finds Small Grants Advance Ocean Conservation & Equity

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are disproportionately impacted by threats to ocean health, such as overfishing and climate change, which are often caused by the world’s high-income countries (HICs). Read more…

Spekboom: The Carbon-Sequestering Plant in Africa’s Great Karoo

Over the course of 25 years, the Tompkins family have worked on a variety of successful restoration projects at Samara Karoo, but this “miracle plant” has turned out to be the one of the most effective carbon-sequestering schemes they could have possibly imagined. Read more…

The Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge 2025 is Now Open for Applications

The Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge 2025 is seeking innovative solutions to address the global ocean crisis. The challenge is open to a wide range of projects, including new business models, innovative products or services, and communication strategies or plans. More info…

The Number One Challenge in Ocean Conservation- And the Solution

A collage of different ocean professions. Policy makers, arctic scientists, shipping, surfers, and others

From researchers in Antarctica to policymakers in Washington, D.C., from coral gardeners in Thailand to Navy officers at sea, conservation takes many forms, covers countless issues, and focuses on so many species, that they haven’t even all been discovered yet. Read more…

Paris Agreement Fallout, But Grassroots Conservation Remains the Backbone of Climate Action

Giacomo Abrusci in a white SEVENSEAS Media tank top, hiking on a trail in an alpine forest.

President Trump has officially withdrawn the United States from the Paris Agreement, a move that weakens global efforts to combat climate change and undermines years of international cooperation. This decision arrives at a critical time, as climate-fueled disasters devastate communities worldwide and scientists warn that the window for meaningful action is rapidly closing. Read more…

Secretive Slugs Could Hold Key to WA’s Hidden Marine Biodiversity

These air-breathing slugs live on rocky and muddy shores where they hide at high tide and emerge at low tide to feed and reproduce, playing a major role in coastal ecosystems. However, despite their high numbers, they’ve never been properly documented along any part of Australia’s coastline until now. Read more…

Restoring The Climate with Native Plants and Deeper Soils

A tipping point is crossed when sufficient vegetation and soils are lost. The land surfaces harden or are paved over, transforming into hot plates or heat islands. These surfaces warm stormwater that is no longer held by vegetation and soils. Read m ore…

“Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy” – Reflections on the Netflix Documentary

The film discusses the manipulative tactics employed by big corporations to lure consumers into excessive spending, often at the expense of our financial well-being and environmental sustainability. Moreover, This documentary resonated with me because this level of consumerism affects us all and every aspect of the environment. Read more…

Cover photo: Humpback Whale By Josh Munoz
Photo banner: A humpback whale calf rises up to the surface for a breath of air by Karim Iliya

SEVENSEAS Weekly Newsletter and Jobs List

Signing up for our free weekly newsletter and jobs list will get you a round-up of upcoming events, webinars, meetings, reports, funding opportunities, photos of the week, and recent postings to the jobs board.

To sign up for free, click here or email us.

Since 2004, SEVENSEAS Media has fostered an informal and non-partisan platform to promote understanding of key issues and challenges while building partnerships across an increasingly diverse group of marine conservation professionals and students.

Our mission is to promote communication and build partnerships across the global marine community and to identify and address gaps in the community’s work. SEVENSEAS Media achieves this through multimedia promotion and partnerships. The community consists of a diverse and growing group of participants, including non-governmental organizations, government agencies, foundations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, fellowship programs, independent consultants, and academia/students.

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Issue 117 - February 2025

Feature Destination: Dance With Whales – Join us Swimming with Nature’s Gentle Giants

Dance With Whales all-inclusive trips takes you swimming in the beautiful waters
of French Polynesia & Mexico.

Bookings open for 2025

Sept 22 – 28, 2025

5 days on water / 6 nights
Outer Islands, French Polynesia
Max. 6 guests

$1000 Deposit / $4900 Total View Trip

Sept 29 – Oct 5, 2025

5 days on water / 6 nights
Outer Islands, French Polynesia
Max. 6 guests

$1000 Deposit / $4900 Total View Trip

Oct 6 – 12, 2025

5 days on water / 6 nights
Outer Islands, French Polynesia
Max. 6 guests

$1000 Deposit / $4900 Total View Trip

No availability? Want to join our waitlist?

By joining our waitlist, we will contact you when we have cancellations, new tours are added, and when new availability matches your specific requests.
If you want more general information, get a sneak peek of our encounters, or are generally interested in whales, then our Newsletter is better for you! Signup here.

French Polynesia vs. Tonga

What’s the difference between French Polynesia and Tonga?

Whales travel across the South Pacific and stop and various islands. We love running trips here and have had some of our best whale encounters here. There are days when we might spend hours in the water with whales, and others where we might not see them at all. This is true for both Tonga and French Polynesia. Wild animals exhibit various behaviors and moods and you don’t need many whales to have a life-changing experience.

Neither location is better than the other, which is why we run trips in both places. Both Tonga and French Polynesia have equal chances of time spent and encounters with whales and they are both absolutely fantastic. Swimming with whales is an incredible privilege. These are wild animals, and it is one of the only instances where you can get out of the safari vehicle (our boat) and have face-to-face interactions with giant animals ethically and consensually. No matter what location you choose, you will have a totally unique experience. During our years in the South Pacific, we have noticed some slight differences between our two locations, that hopefully will help you pick your destination.

French Polynesia

French Polynesia has fewer whales and very few boats.

Whales in French Polynesia often come much closer to shore, and sometimes, we see them over the shallow coral reef.

French Polynesia doesn’t have a limit on how many can be in the water at the same time as the whales. We try to coordinate with other boats, take turns, and time things so that numbers are small, but it means there are times when there are more people in the water.

But because there are so few boats, there have also been times when we spend hours alone with the whales.

In French Polynesia, we mostly encounter mothers and calves who stay close to shore. We often encounter the same mother and calf, which allows us to build a trusting bond, resulting in the mum letting her calf play around us.

Tonga

Tonga has more whales but also more boats.

In Tonga, we sometimes go many kilometers/miles out to sea to encounter the whales. Meaning we are always on the open ocean.

Tonga only allows 5 people in the water at a time (3 guests and our 2 guides). This means groups swap every other time but have very quiet encounters. On very slow days, there can be some waiting and taking turns between our boat and other boats.

Tonga has more variety of whale encounters (singers, heat runs, mothers and calves, juveniles, etc.) So, if you prefer lots of variety, Tonga will give that to you.