The Hidden Crisis: Christmas Island 2022

Our team of eight Sea Shepherd Australia Marine Debris volunteers returned to Christmas Island this year and were confronted by a hidden crisis.

Christmas Island is a special place where the famous yearly migration of red crabs takes place – the biggest migration in the animal kingdom. It is also home to endemic species found nowhere else on earth.

Unfortunately, like so many remote places, the density of marine plastic pollution washing up on the small coves of the island is escalating every year. However, our crew never dreamt that they would be shovelling plastic to deal with the accumulation of plastic polluting Greta Beach.

Find out how our crew removed over 2.9 tonnes of trash from just one small 80m beach in our latest video!

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Sea Shepherd is an international, non-profit marine conservation organization that engages in direct action campaigns to defend wildlife, and conserve and protect the world’s oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction.

[leannkennedy]

I would be a full time marine debris collector if there were such a position.

[gregwostrel]

Sea Shepherd - you are incredible! Thank you. Everyone, do whatever you can to stop using plastic. Small changes by a significant number of people change the demand. Refuse to buy products in single-use plastic, whenever possible

[drymoper]

We camped at Greater beach and Dolly beach 30 years ago as school kids and there wasnt any plastic or rubbish on these beaches...sad to see 🙈 great job

[leannkennedy]

I'm so thankful that places like this are preserved, but alas.. I am saddened as well. The polution will never stop until those plastic islands are delt with. 😪

[TimeTheory]

Thanks Sea Shepherds 👍
I wish I could start donating again, but the last time I've been able to have expendable money was before 2007.

[jkbear]

Glad to see people like ocean cleanup out there trying to fix the plastic problem we all need to step it up

[jamespisano]

Thanks for this amazing and honorable work!!! Sea Shepherd is for REAL!!!

[halfmoonflyfishing]

Recently watched a fly fishing film about Christmas Island and came across this. It is incredibly frustrating as a 26yo to know this problem will only get worse in the coming years. Thank you for your efforts to clean up the beaches

[janoshvilagos]

Discovered you guys this summer and I have become instantly a donor on a monthly base. You do such a amazing an important Job. Glad to support Sea Shepherd Germany. Greetings from Berlin ✌️

[itzrn]

The second sadest thing is that this amazing video has only this few views.

[suparki]

The solution is simple, tax plastic to the point that alternatives like glass, paper and metal become cheaper than plastic. Unfortunately, the oil industry does not like this idea, so they keep lobbying against it and tell people to "recycle" instead.

[peteracke]

Last time I was at Christmas Island, there were massive bed sized pieces of thong material that thongs had been stamped out of....these must have been thrown into the sea from the factory...and all the usual plastic bottles and mess from the fishing industry...good job on the clean up guys

[WallyTony]

Cocnut crabs are insane. I had no idea this island was so cool.

[systeminoperative]

I love the important work & msg's you do world wide but, should you not be using hessian bags ( material sacking ) that are a natural fibre and biodegradable unlike the bags you use on the beach . I know strong bags are needed & they were used again but it needs to start with someone doesn't it?

[k.vn.k]

I would love to go there and clean the island myself. Can’t stand the rubbish ruining the island.

[michaelhodgson]

And despite all this the local supermarkets and take away restaurants are importing tonnes more single use plastic crap that gets buried or littered on the island.
They need bulk food stores and sustainable packaging asap !
Cocos keiling islands has the same problems also .

[cmonster]

Plastic is the best and worst material ever invented

[dankrall]

I would love to volunteer with you guys for a few months or a summer

[sawlageagadir]

Tankyou tous je veux travailler avec vous

[rod_at_adelaide]

We do need to stop single use plastics and there has been a dramatic reduction in Australia and you guy's are doing a great job as do the locals who have clean up days.
The problem is Asia as many poor countries don't have world class rubbish collections so people can't properly dispose of their rubbish so it ends up in the streets then the rivers and finally in the Ocean.
What is needed is Western rich countries to spend money at the source by providing education and to establish proper rubbish collection in those areas, it won't be cheap but would make a huge difference. Maybe spending a few billion dollars instead of putting people on Mars? The ropes and nets are a different problem because of fishing, but we do have to feed people.