Professional diver Ed Bieber (@edthediver) came back from a scuba excursion with a surprising load of trash. 

"Just did a short 15-minute dive in the Menominee River," he said at the start of his TikTok video. "Check out what I found!" 

@edthediver Found a few lures today in my local river while scuba diving! 😃👍 #menomineeriver #fishing #lures #marinette #Wisconsin #happy #fyp #fun #money #cleanup ♬ original sound - Ed the Diver

Ed then pulled up a massive tangle of fishing lines, complete with lures. While it's a fair bit of work to recover, Ed has turned it into a business by selling the lures to (hopefully) more responsible fishers.

Fishing gear is a scourge in waterways, accounting for the bulk of the Great Pacific Garbage patch, according to Sea Shepherd Global. 

A World Wildlife Fund estimate noted that over a million tons of commercial fishing gear are abandoned at sea every year. The hooks left in smaller bodies of water also pose a serious threat to local wildlife, and animals regularly get entangled and die in discarded lines.

Besides direct physical threats, plastic waste more broadly poses a more insidious problem when it sheds particles over time. Microplastics have infiltrated human food supplies. From there, they can pose a range of endocrine, immune, and reproductive health risks when ingested.  

Ed is setting a good example for taking local action. If you're interested in pitching in, it's possible to engage with local beach clean-up groups to do your part. 

In Ed's neighborhood of Michigan, for example, the Alliance for the Great Lakes runs an Adopt-a-Beach program, the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance hosts an annual clean-up, and Green Bay Conservation Partners routinely coordinates volunteer action. 

As for fishing fans, keep an eye out for fishing line recycling programs, so if you do need to cut, the line won't be left to do damage to wildlife. Also, be sure to read up on other fishing regulations in order to be aware of sensitive populations and best practices.  

TikTok followers were thoroughly impressed with Ed's work in cleaning up local waterways. 

"You the man," said one follower. 

What should America do to fight plastic pollution? Stricter regulations on companies 🏛️ Better recycling ♻️ More bans on single-use items 🚫 All of the above 💯 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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