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ANYONE SEE A PROBLEM WITH THIS?? 
Hundreds of species live at the ocean's surface and are the base of a food web that feeds everything from turtles to sea birds to whales. Why do we forget them?? A thread
https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/1355502020426412032
Hundreds of species live at the ocean's surface and are the base of a food web that feeds everything from turtles to sea birds to whales. Why do we forget them?? A thread
https://twitter.com/dwnews/status/1355502020426412032
Blue buttons blanket the ocean's surface in some regions of the world, forming islands of shimmering blue life. https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1323373338018959362
They are related to by-the-wind sailors, Velella, which use a small sail to travel like a living boat... https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1126320813559439360
Floating life can be so densely packed they completely cover the ocean's surface. Have you seen an island of life on the high seas? Few people have, but these living islands very much exist, coming together and braking apart with the waves: https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1100778796163235843
Blue sea dragons rely upon these animals, hunting by-the-wind sailors and others... https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1296227284718882823
And shimmering with the waves... https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1238303938677559296
Endangered eels rely on the ocean's surface when young--swimming from the shore far out to sea to lay eggs... https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1215876063689084929
Like blue buttons, violet snails (Janthina sp.) spent their lives on the ocean's surface. They can't swim, so they make rafts by dipping their body into the air and wrapping the bubbles in slime. https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1088475265762844673
This isn't the first well-intentioned idea that could seriously harm the surface. #TheOceanCleanup really set the trend, & I've since seen several orgs try to copy their example. Unfortunately, The Ocean Cleanup is also a posterchild for the danger... https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1179861389575245824
The ocean's surface is a remarkable habitat that is understudied & hugely impacted by human activity. Life at the surface must be understood & protected, and as much as I want to see the surface cleaned, we must do it in a way that doesn't harm the ecosystem living there.
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(Also, I'm sorry for the Saturday morning range. But organizations that claim to be helping by scooping up everything on the surfaceâincluding all the animals living thereâare just not it. If you're curious about BETTER methods, here is one example) https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1276932823249637376
(and here's a full breakdown of why orgs like the Ocean Voyages Institute are both much more effective AND so much better for the environment than the scoop-everything companites) https://twitter.com/RebeccaRHelm/status/1276993100813086720
