Rick Crawford
You may recall, but in November 2017, plastic lobbyists and legislators from South Carolina tried to step in and prevent local communities and municipalities from being able to ban items like plastic bags, balloons and styrofoam from their local communities, and the bill to stop local government’s from banning plastic bags and styrofoam will be back on the table in January 2019. Fortunately, the City of Charleston, along with other coastal communities on the South Carolina coast, decided to take action and ban certain single-use plastics, which will take effect January 1, 2020.
Photo Credit: Lia Colabello
On Tuesday, November 27, 2018, the City of Charleston banned the use of plastic bags, plastic straws and styrofoam. I believe this is a huge step in the right direction of protecting our fisheries for future generations. As a volunteer for organizations like Charleston Waterkeeper, Charleston Surfrider and Lowcountry Land Trust, I have witnessed the tremendous amount of plastic that is littering our beaches, marshes and local waterways during beach sweeps and clean-ups.
As an angler, I am deeply concerned about the impact plastic pollution is having on our local fishery as plastic begins to enter our food chain. In fact, Kea Payton, a Marine Biologist who did here thesis on microplastics in Charleston Harbor, found that “All recreational fishes examined in this study contained microplastics in their GI tracts; fishes studied include Croaker, Flounder, Mullet, Red Drum, Sea Trout, Spot, and Whiting caught in the Charleston Harbor.“
Finally, as a father, I want my daughter to be able to enjoy the Lowcountry lifestyle that I grew up with…Oyster roasts in the winter, azaleas in the spring, Lowcountry boils and long days at the beach during the summer and early morning fishing and surf sessions in the fall. We are lucky to live in such a beautiful place with seemingly abundant resources, but in order to preserve our way of life, we must protect what we love!
Kudos to Mayor John Tecklenburg and City Council members for demonstrating their leadership and banning single-use plastics.