Earth Day 2019 Okinawa

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Admin11

Happy Earth Day 2019,

This post is not to make people sad, guilty or lose hope, It is to bring awareness to the ongoing trash problem in our oceans and on our shorelines.

As you can see our trash is a serious problem on our shorelines. Some organizations are doing great things making a difference but its not enough, We must all work together worldwide to attack this problem.

We all have the ability to make a difference by reducing the amount of single-use items we use daily. Change can be difficult but I challenge you to Make The Switch for Nature

Three items that can make a huge impact are:

Reusable thermos instead of single use
Reusable bag instead of a plastic bag
Metal utensils instead of single use plastic

I also recommend volunteering in a community beach cleanup at least once a year. Its important to see the amount of trash for yourself!

Hopefully this post will inspire you to make a positive change.

Learn more about making a difference, TEDx talk | Adapting to or Changing Environment by Shawn M Miller

Mission

To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link below.

paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bringing solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Get Fa-Millerized with the Nature of the Ryukyu Islands – – – – SUBSCRIBE BELOW

Light bulbs, Plastic Bottles and Hermit Crabs

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Admin11

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is to go beach walking. Over the years I have seen a significant increase in the amount of marine debris washed ashore. The trash is from all over the world, but majority of it washes up from Korea, China and Japan.

The trash is overwhelming on our shorelines and will take a very long time to clean up. Its absolutely necessary that we work together to fix this worldwide issue.

When I look at the photograph below, I see the potential monetary value in these single use products. I think the only way to combat the problem is to reduce the use and to make the debris worth picking up by giving it a cash value. One solution for the plastic bottle problem would be to create a worldwide deposit-refund system. For example, If people were paid 5-10 cents per plastic bottle collected I guarantee our beaches and forest dumping grounds would be cleaner.

Light bulbs are another form of debris that wash ashore. The light bulbs are transparent and blend in well with the surrounding beach litter. I have accidental stepped on light bulbs while beach combing after typhoons. It is important to wear protective footwear on majority of the beaches surrounding the Ryukyu Islands.

Try and find the broken light bulb below, this is a common site on local beaches.

Meet Edison, A resourceful blueberry hermit crab (Coenobita purpureus ) found naturally using a incandescent light bulb screw end as a protective home. I usually find hermit crabs adapting with plastic tops and twist top caps. This was my first encounter with a hermit crab using a light bulb screw end as a mobile home.

The hermit crab is one of the few animals that can successfully adapt with our waste. If you would like to learn more about hermit crabs adapting with our waste please check out my post on “Crabs With Beach Trash Homes” by Shawn M Miller.

This post is not to make people sad, guilty or lose hope, It is to bring awareness to the ongoing trash problem in our oceans and on our shorelines. We all have the ability to make a difference by reducing the amount of single-use items we use daily.

Learn more about making a difference, TEDx talk | Adapting to or Changing Environment by Shawn M Miller

My Mission: To Protect and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands for Future Generations. – If you would like to join my journey, check out my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bringing solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Marine life washed ashore during Typhoon Trami

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Admin11

Typhoon Trami was by far the strongest storm of the year. The typhoon brought heavy winds, rain, and extreme sea conditions. A huge amount of marine life could not cope with these harsh conditions.

An abundance of marine debris also washed up. A disgusting amount of styrofoam, plastic bottle caps, water bottles, lighters, combs, razors, and floats littered the shorelines.

Marine debris

Environmental impact

Styrofoam pollution

I have been living on Okinawa for over twenty-five years and this was the first time seeing a devastating amount of marine life washed ashore. The storm was so powerful that large clumps of stony coral broke off and washed ashore.

Marine life and plastic pollution

Marine fish and plastic pollution

Pufferfish washed ashore

Red Grouper

Plastic wrapping

Parrot fish washed up

Eel and Styrofoam

Dead fish

fish and flops

Wrasses and plastic

Hermit crab and plastic

Pufferfish washed ashore

Coral washed ashore

I also managed to find some unique animals washed ashore. Five red frogfish, twelve sea snakes, a spiny seahorse and five unknown orange fish (Ogilibia sp).

Frogfish washed ashore

Sea snake washed up

Spiky seahorse

Starfish of Okinawa

Undescribed orange fish (Ogilbia sp).

If you would like to use any of my images please contact me directly. Have a great day!

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

Tag Archives: beaches of Okinawa

Earth Day 2019 Okinawa

Light bulbs, Plastic Bottles and Hermit Crabs

Marine life washed ashore during Typhoon Trami