AN OFFSHORE MICROCOSM

Set at the far northern tip of the vast Mesoamerican Barrier Reef system – the world’s second largest after Australia’s – Contoy is a crucial stopping point for over 150 bird species and a key nesting ground for endangered Loggerhead, Green, Hawksbill and Leatherback sea turtles.

Despite being long and thin, it is remarkably complex, with the reef starting on the south side of the island, a lagoon with mangroves, some thick jungle and a series of undulating sand dunes. Carried on the waves, plastic debris from the Caribbean Sea washes up on the island’s rougher East coast beaches. Blown by the wind, the pollution accumulates along the sand and in the scrubby plants beyond – threatening Contoy’s wildlife with ingestion and entanglement.

THE FIGHT AGAINST FISHING NETS

Once they’re lost in the marine environment, fishing nets continue indiscriminately trapping seabed and marine animals. Nets can end up as ghost gear due to a combination of factors, including bad weather like hurricanes and storms, the quality and the age of the fishing gear used and losses during fishing activities.

Contoy is just one island where Parley Mexico is now working as part of a huge new program to intercept and upcycle ghost gear in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Parley’s AIR Marine Debris Mitigation Initiative is collecting derelict fishing gear from 16 fishing communities in the States of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Campeche and Yucatán in the Gulf of Mexico and Quintana Roo in the Mexican Caribbean. The vast project stretches across 17 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) along 4,470 km of coastline, and aims to provide a local end-to-end solution for monofilament nylon nets by upcycling them locally. Cleanups and local education projects will also form a key part of the initiative, with a focus on coastal communities, university students and fishers.

PARADISE PROTECTED

Your support directly funds the protection of Isla Contoy in two ways. Working with Parley and our partners in the region, you are making it possible to intercept plastic waste on the island and upcycle some of it. You're also supporting education and infrastructure projects to reduce plastic at source – an essential part of Clean Waves’ mission.

WELCOME TO THE MOVEMENT

Your sunglasses are just the beginning of the Clean Waves journey. In the months ahead, we’ll take you to Contoy and other locations through exclusive content and explore how your support helps us protect these fragile marine ecosystems from plastic pollution.

It's great to have you onboard.