A few weeks ago this photograph taken by Justin Hofman flooded the internet and opened the eyes of thousands of individuals on how polluted our oceans truly are:

Hofman was out snorkeling off the coast of the Indonesian island, Sumbawa, last year when he unexpectedly stumbled upon this seahorse wrapped around a cotton swab, which has now become a major symbol in the marine trash epidemic. In Hofman's post he claimed that he wished the photo did not even exist however everyone needs to see it.

In an interview with The Verge, Hofman explains that marine animals intermixed with trash is not a rare sight and that he sees "trash, debris, and human waste all over the place."

Trash and human waste enters the ocean, by tons, every year. University studies claim that by the year 2050, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one example that may be able to prove this claim in the future.

This garbage patch is a collection of marine debris (or litter) located in the North Pacific Ocean stretching from the west coast of North American all the way to Japan. The garbage is heavily concentrated in this area due to the currents of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre that move in a circular direction however stretch as far as 7.7 million square miles.

The stableness of this area allows for the trash to become trapped. The plastics in this area are not biodegradable, rather they only break down into smaller bits of plastic that are then labeled as "microplastics." Because microplastics are so small that they are nearly undetectable by the naked eye, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is not a seemingly floating island of trash. The water in this area is known to look like "cloudy soup" according to National Geographic and then become entangled in fishing nets and larger trash items. Scientists have gathered nearly 1.9 million bits of microplastics in 1 square mile of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. However, many of the garbage items lie below the ocean's surface and rest on the sea floor, so much as nearly 70%.

Like the seahorse, many marine animals are at risk due to this trash overload. Larger sea mammals can become entangled in fishing nets and drown due to lack of ability to swim towards the surface for air. Furthermore, microplastics block the sunlight from reaching algae and plankton which disables them from being able to produce their own energy and nutrients. Without these organisms creating their own food, their livelihood becomes threatened and the marine food web becomes endangered.

Marine activists, like Justin Hofman, and international organizations are dedicated to preventing the expansion of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the overall trash buildup worldwide. National Geographic, NOAA Marine Debris Program, and even celebrities and activists like Leonardo DiCaprio are putting this issue at the top of their priority list. It is important to go towards exhausting efforts to fight the marine trash crisis as the damage is already exponential.