Ocean lovers raise pollution awareness via social media

World leaders descend on Lisbon, Portugal, today for the annual World Ocean Council meeting with the goal of engaging the ocean business community in strategies for driving both economic development and environmental protection.

Top of mind issues are expected to include marine debris, illegal fishing, and developing new technology that will allow for sustainable growth of businesses that rely on the sea. As the 250 global leaders debate policies, economic conditions, and legal parameters, private citizens around the world continue their outcry on social media against the poor treatment of oceans in today's growing climate.

Trending hashtags including #banthebag, #take3forthesea, and #marinedebris capture global anger with different types of ocean pollution, plastic and otherwise. These hashtags lend a hand in enabling ocean lovers to share the problems with ocean pollution via social media.

Today's World Ocean Summit gives these economists the opportunity to open more Twitter discussions about their concerns. By including #OceanSummit in their tweets, economists have started a new social media trend bringing awareness to the issues at hand.

These issues include people needing to take responsibility for marine debris as well as illegal fishing taking place in Africa. People are also opening discussions about creative ways to save the oceans, such as implementing new devices that can be used to eliminate plastic in the waters.

Click through this gallery to see alarming pictures of ocean pollution:

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