Nature Photographer’s Instagram Post Shows the Awful Reality of the Marine Crisis

Our oceans are filled with unique and beautiful creatures, but they’re under attack.

Wildlife photographer Justin Hofman is known for taking gorgeous photos of nature in action. He took this snapshot off the coast of the Indonesian island Sumbawa, and it illustrates a major problem with the state of marine life.

He captured a photo of a cute seahorse clinging to a cotton swab with plastic bags floating in the background.

“I wish that this scene didn’t happen every day, that’s the thing,” Hofman told The Verge. “I spend a lot of time underwater all over the world, and I see trash and debris and human waste all over the place.”

The plastic in the ocean is hurting our wildlife—many sea creatures die from ingesting plastic or getting tangled up in garbage. Hopefully images like this will continue to spread awareness on the devastating issue.

Read the full caption in the post down below.
 

It’s a photo that I wish didn’t exist but now that it does I want everyone to see it. What started as an opportunity to photograph a cute little sea horse turned into one of frustration and sadness as the incoming tide brought with it countless pieces of trash and sewage. This sea horse drifts long with the trash day in and day out as it rides the currents that flow along the Indonesian archipelago. This photo serves as an allegory for the current and future state of our oceans. What sort of future are we creating? How can your actions shape our planet?
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thanks to @eyosexpeditions for getting me there and to @nhm_wpy and @sea_legacy for getting this photo in front of as many eyes as possible. Go to @sea_legacy to see how you can make a difference. . #plastic #seahorse #wpy53 #wildlifephotography #conservation @nhm_wpy @noaadebris #switchthestick

A post shared by Justin Hofman (@justinhofman) on Sep 12, 2017 at 8:28am PDT