I've been speaking out for years and working to inform people about the growing negative impact that pollutants are having on our Puget Sound waters and its wildlife. In this blog edition I'm posting images and videos of some of the pollutants and issues. Our amazing and gorgeous underwater wildlife is living on, under and around tire reefs, corrugated pipe reefs, toilets, and lots of other trash. When coupled with the changes in our climate, which is causing the waters to warm to extreme temperatures, the effects are becoming more noticeable. As more and more pollutants and trash are being dumped and spilled and put into our waters, they are stressing the wildlife that must survive these threats. The Octopus below has made its home, for a short time, under a huge piling. Although dumping tires, old telephone poles, corrugated piping into Puget Sound is illegal now, there are thousands of these reefs that still remain. Arguments are on both sides about wether to leave or remove them. The tire reef above is one of thousands that litter the bottom and are now home to a multitude of creatures. It's unclear how much damage they cause after so many decades, and like the pilings, groups argue continually about removing or leaving them so they can provide a haven for our wildlife. Water temps are averaging about 54º, salinity is about 2.5%. These videos are of very old corrugated piping (above) and used tires banded together (below) forming reefs covered with wildlife. Many animals will use these structures for protection from predators. Unfortunately, they are leaching chemicals into our waters. For more information contact me directly: [email protected]
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