The Beached Az Whale Is Did

The Beached Az Whale Is Did

The social media phenomenon, The Beached Whale, which entertained millions of online viewers, has died from eating too much “plistuc” – highlighting the plight of marine life everywhere, ahead of World Oceans Day this Sunday 8th June.

In the latest online video, a collaboration between the Beached Az producers and Greenpeace New Zealand, the whale who is now a ghost, explains to his best mate, the seagull, why he has died in his thick New Zealand accent and that, “The whole ocean is gittung did too”.

Research shows 60% of all fish stocks are now over fished, that plastics consistently make up 60-80% of all marine debris in the ocean and the the oceans have become 30% more acidic due to increased CO2 levels.

Beached Az producer Anthony MacFarlane says they hope the lighter take on a serious global issue helps to spread the message further, “We just want all the cuzzies and bros out there to know that the ocean’s getting pretty sick and it’s time we all took notice, so we don’t have to kill off any more cartoon whales. It’s been pretty traumatic”.

Greenpeace oceans campaign team leader Lagi Toribau says, “Here at Greenpeace we’re known for being very passionate about our oceans. While this video still has those serious undertones, we hope the humour will get the message out there in a different way to engage New Zealanders for World Oceans Day and we hope that a few more Kiwis look at ways they can make a difference.”

Lagi adds, “Sharing the video will help us to get the message out there. But there are also simple things like eating sustainable seafood, reducing your use of plastic and even keeping your car well serviced to prevent oil leaks – they all help to improve the health of our oceans”.

People can spread the oceans message by viewing and sharing the ‘Beached Az Whale is Did’ online video here you can also sign up at www.greenpeace.org/bros for more tips and to keep informed on oceans issues.

Background

• World Oceans Day on June 8th is an opportunity to create widespread action and discussion about what we each can do to keep our oceans healthy. http://worldoceansday.org

• Plastics consistently make up 60-80% of all marine debris in the ocean www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/docs/plastic_ocean_report.pdf

• Leading scientists estimate that over 60% of fish stocks are now overfished. www.ecomarres.com/downloads/rebuild.pdf

• Since the industrial revolution, the oceans have become 30% more acidic. Increased CO2 is changing the chemistry of the oceans. www.scientificamerican.com/article/acidic-oceans

• More than 2.9 billion people rely on fish for at least 20 percent of their animal protein intake, and 4.3 billion people with about 15 percent of such protein. www.fao.org/3/a-i3720e.pdf

• An increasing number of sharks and rays appear on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species each year with a recent study estimating that 1 in 4 are now threatened. www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=16365

• Scientists estimate that under current climate change scenarios sea levels could rise by up to one metre by the end of the century. www.nature.com/news/climate-science-rising-tide-1.13749

ENDS

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