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An double entrance a polar bear with plastic hanging from its jaw has been shortlist for theOcean lensman of the Year 2024award . The image , taken on Kiepert Island in the Svalbard archipelago off Norway , by photonaturalistCelia Kujalaserves as a " a stark reminder that even the uninhabited reaches of the Arctic are not exempt from the pervasive grip of fictile befoulment , " rival representatives wrote in a statement emailed to Live Science .
The exposure is shortlist in the Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year ( Impact ) category , which also includes a photograph of a beat fin hulk expect to be slaughter at a quickness in Iceland , shark fin drying on a cap in Indonesia and a gannet , a heavy ashen sea bird with a yellowish head , trapped in fling fishing gear hang from a cliff .
The shortlisted image of the polar bear was captured on the remote Kiepert Island in the Svalbard archipelago.
Thepolar bear(Ursus maritimus ) photograph highlights the scale leaf of plastic pollution in the Arctic and the impact it has on regional species . Consideredvulnerableby the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species , diametrical bears look multiple threat . A 2016 studypredicts their numbers will pass by 30 % by the midsection of the 100 .
mood changeis the principal threat , reduce the sea ice on which they hunt . However , credit card is compounding the problem . gelid bears are increasinglyturning to landfills for solid food . An analysis of arctic bear stomach contents from the population in the Southern Beaufort Sea off Alaska and Canada found28 % contained charge plate . Half of the bears that had rust plastic also had acute gastritis , potentially leading to painful blockages in their digestive system .
relate : pivotal bear slumber on bantam iceberg stray in Arctic ocean catch in heartbreaking picture
Freedivers from the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project work to remove a large ghost net from waters of the uninhabited Pearl and Hermes Atoll. At this point, the team had been working for nearly two months straight and removed almost 200,000 pounds of ghost nets from this Marine Protected Area.Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Hawaii
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A gannet, entangled in discarded fishing gear, hangs off a cliff.Isle of Noss, Shetland Islands
" There are not enough data to get a unmortgaged picture , but it is probable that bears are more probable to ingest charge plate when they encounter human trash as they essay food on shore,“John Whiteman , master enquiry scientist at Polar Bears International and assistant professor of biological science at Old Dominion University in Virginia , told Live Science in an email .
" Sea meth loss , and the resulting gain in time drop on state , is making it ever more important to recover safe , long - terminal figure way to manage trash — an issue that multiple Arctic communities have take on with winner , " he add .
The succeeder of the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024 , presented byOceanographic MagazineandBlancpain , will be announced on Sept. 12 . shortlist paradigm for the Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year ( Impact ) category can be project below .
A transshipment takes place at sea where boats transfer their catch onto other boats for transport to Myanmar’s mainland. Such transshipments limit the traceability of seafood, hindering catch monitoring, regulation enforcement, and management efforts, contributing to the problem of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which is prevalent in Southeast Asia.Myeik Archipelago, Myanmar
The second biggest whale, the fin whale, lies waiting for its turn to be butchered at a whaling plant in Iceland before getting sent to Japan.Iceland
A critically endangered smoothnose wedgefish demonstrates the cost of bycatch.Aceh, Indonesia
Shark fins dry on a roof. The high demand for shark fins in Asian medicine, combined with declining fish stocks, forces many fishers to target these vulnerable species for their livelihoods.East Java, Indonesia
A bleached coral reef during an episode of stress in 2024. A loss of colour, biodiversity and biomass is evident.Mayotte Island
The impact of rising sea levels: Fisherman Abdul Latief (62) sits in his flooded home. His house flooded for the first time in 2008. Since then he has raised it twice, in 2009 and 2019. The floods are getting higher but Abdul doesn’t have enough money to raise his house again.Demak Regency, Indonesia
A polar bear plays with a piece of plastic - a stark reminder that even the uninhabited reaches of the Arctic are not exempt from the pervasive grip of plastic pollution.Kiepert Island, Svalbard
A coconut octopus found a hideout spot inside a plastic sandwich bag.Philippines
A pregnant stingray is trapped in an aquaculture frame, highlighting the issue of bycatch. Currently, about 40% of the world’s fish is caught accidentally and is dead or dying when returned to the sea.Portugal
A melting ice shelf in the Arctic creates numerous waterfalls.Barents Sea, Arctic
