Environmental campaigner Joseph Whitmore will be swimming six miles along the River Ouse to raise awareness of plastic pollution in the world’s rivers and oceans.
The 26-year-old from Ely is a keen diver and has a major interest in marine life. But he says plastic is becoming such a major problem in the world’s oceans it is causing mutations in fish species and killing coral reefs.
He has launched a non profit organisation Cleaner Marine and hopes his swim - a pub crawl involving front crawl - from The Cutter in Ely to the Lazy Otter in Stretham will help raise awareness of his one-man crusade.
He said: “I have seen for myself the plastics in our oceans when I am diving, it is absolutely terrible. Research shows the seas contain plastic at a ratio of fish weight to plastic of 1:5 but that is predicted to be 1:1 by 2050.
“My organisation is trying to combat that.
“The problem is the plastic is getting into the food chain and is becoming part of DNA in some marine life - it is disastrous and it is only going to get worse.
“Some fish are suffering mutations and they are then being eaten by bigger fish, who are then eaten by marine mammals and of course people eat fish too.
“Not only that it is effecting the coral reefs - they are vital to our survival they produce 70 per cent of the air we breath. The rain forests are the lungs of the world but it is the coral reefs that provide most of our oxygen.
“Research shows that again by 2050 the Great Barrier Reef will have been 75 per cent destroyed by pollution - we need to do something now to stop that from happening.
“I am doing the swim to raise awareness of my campaign and I hope others will join or make a donation towards the cause. Supporters can also wave him off from The Cutter on the day.
“People can find out more at my website: cleanermarine.btck.co.uk
Joseph, who was born in Cambridge but grew up in North Wales, has lived in Ely for the last five years, will be start his swim at 12.30pm - he expects it to take about four to five hours to complete.
He has been busy training for the challenge at the Paradise Centre, working his swimming in around his day job as a carpenter and joiner.
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