A fisherman searches for recyclable plastic in shallow water near a trash-choked shore.
Resha Juhari / We Animals
Trillions of minute plastic particles, called microplastics, pollute the world’s oceans, primarily originating from the continuous flow of plastic waste from land to sea.
We Animals photojournalist Resha Juhari visited Sukaraja Beach in Indonesia’s Lampung Province to document the mass accumulation of plastic waste negatively impacting marine life, the environment, and coastal residents’ health.
Plastic pollution at Sukaraja Beach
“On a quiet morning at Sukaraja Beach fishermen rush to their boats. The sea breeze blows gently as if whispering old stories about the ocean that was once a source of abundant life. However, behind the tranquillity of that morning, there is an unseen yet haunting threat that is destroying not only marine ecosystems but also human life. Among the fishermen who set sail that morning, perhaps no one realized that the fish they brought home were no longer just fish but also messengers of how precarious the condition of our oceans is.” — Resha Juhari
A fisherman looks out at the ocean from a beach filled with plastic waste. Fishermen work amid the trash daily to capture fish from a dwindling supply. The area’s ever-increasing accumulation of waste is reported to negatively impact marine life and the fishermen’s certainty about their future. Sukaraja Beach, Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia, 2024.
Resha Juhari / We Animals
With a population of 250 million, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country and second-largest plastic polluter in the world after China. In 2010, it produced approximately 3.22 million metric tons of mismanaged plastic, a figure that’s predicted to double by 2025.
Dead ponyfish lie in a basket on a trash-filled beach as a fisherman adds more fish to the container as a cat observes nearby. Local fisherman complain that a river carries the garbage to the beach, decreasing their catch and polluting the coastal environment. Sukaraja Beach, Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia, 2024.
Resha Juhari / We Animals
Fishermen and a child collect dead ponyfish from a trash-filled net on a beach smothered with plastic waste. Local fishermen complain that a river carries the garbage to the beach, decreasing their catch and polluting the coastal environment. Sukaraja Beach, Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia, 2024.
Resha Juhari / We Animals
The local coastal community relies on Sukaraja’s waters for their livelihoods. Despite the plastic waste and other trash littering the area, fishers continue their work in the face of dwindling fish populations and without days off. It’s not uncommon for the fishers to catch more trash than fish. Despite this, awareness of marine microplastic pollution in the area appears low, and local fish consumption seems unaffected by the issue.
Fishermen hand-pull nets laden with trash and a few fish ashore on a garbage-filled ocean beach. The accumulated plastic waste polluting the area is reported to negatively impact marine life, the environment, and coastal residents’ health. Sukaraja Beach, Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia, 2024.
Resha Juhari / We Animals
Two rows of fishermen hand-pull nets ashore on a garbage-filled ocean beach. The accumulated plastic waste polluting the area is reported to negatively impact marine life, the environment, and coastal residents’ health. Sukaraja Beach, Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia, 2024.
Resha Juhari / We Animals
The Impacts of Microplastics
The global export of plastic waste to developing countries significantly contributes to this serious emerging problem for the environment and human health.
According to a UN report, three-quarters of all marine debris is plastic that fragments into microplastics and can take centuries to decompose. Bacteria, plankton, and larger animals consume the particles that persist up through the food web, ultimately accumulating in the bodies of fish and other species.
A fisherman searches for recyclable plastic on a trash-smothered beach. When not catching fish, some fishermen search for plastic waste that can be recycled for sale, but only a small amount is saleable. Plastic waste in the sea becomes brittle from sunlight and the environment, causing it to break down into microplastics. Sukaraja Beach, Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia, 2024.
Resha Juhari / We Animals
In 2023, the Ocean Conservancy reported that more than 1,300 marine species, including birds and whales, are affected by plastic pollution. Sardines (Sardina pilchardus), commonly caught by Sukaraja fishers and consumed in households globally, are among the unseen victims of this contamination.
The face of a recently captured sardine, the area’s most commonly caught species, protrudes through a fishing net. Due to the large volumes of garbage accumulated in the area, the netted fish are mingled with plastic waste, which is reported to threaten coastal marine life, the environment, and coastal residents’ health. Sukaraja Beach, Bandar Lampung, Lampung, Indonesia, 2024.
Resha Juhari / We Animals
Fishermen fling and shake a fishing net to remove dead sardines at a fish market loading dock. The sardines arrive on the boat already dead and are frozen or dried before being sold. Muara Angke Fish Market, North Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia, 2024.
Resha Juhari / We Animals
Many of these animals end up at markets and food stores around the globe, where vendors sell them for human consumption. A growing body of scientific evidence even shows the build-up of such plastics in human organs, leading researchers to call for more urgent actions to curb plastic pollution.
During this assignment, our photojournalist visited Muara Angke fish market, one of Indonesia’s largest and most significant, serving as a continuous hub for trade. According to data from the Nusantara Fishing Port, over 30,000 metric tons of aquatic life are sold through the market annually.
Baskets of countless dead sardines that will be dried in the sun sit on a fish market loading dock. The fish originate from various regions of the country and arrive at the dock already dead. Muara Angke Fish Market, North Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia, 2024.
Resha Juhari / We Animals
Resha Juhari / We Animals
These visuals provide a stark glimpse into the reality of plastic pollution, asking viewers to pause and reflect on our overuse of plastic and how it connects us globally.
Learn more, including what steps we can take to reduce plastic waste, via the UN Environment Programme: #BeatPlasticPollution
Data sources: The Jakarta Post / Science / CBC / Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity / The Guardian / Ocean Conservancy
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