Fisher issues warning after making unexpected discovery in ocean trash: 'He's wedged in there'

A fisherman catching a fish is not exactly unexpected. However, catching one in a discarded plastic bottle floating in the ocean is.

Jesse Hayes (@incidentally_awesome), a commercial fisher who works in the Florida Keys, posted a video to TikTok showing how they unintentionally snagged a triggerfish while out on their boat.

@incidentally_awesome The baby trigger fish was jammed inside this pieve of plastic debris, but it was still alive. Please dont throw garbage in the ocean. #fishing #conservation #rescue #animal #wildlife ♬ Deep Understanding - Dominic DiTanna

Jesse saw a piece of plastic debris floating by and reached over the side of the boat to pull it from the water. This small act of ocean cleanup brought an unexpected bonus, as they were able to free the animal from the bottle's neck.

"He's wedged in there," Jesse said, noting that a bottle cap also lodged alongside the fish wasn't actually from the bottle itself but just another bit of plastic that had accumulated.

Jesse freed the fish, but not before demonstrating its remarkable features, like its disproportionately large teeth and impressive dorsal fin.

"The baby triggerfish was jammed inside this piece of plastic debris, but it was still alive," Jesse captioned the video. "Please don't throw garbage in the ocean."

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According to the National Oceanography Centre, of the 300 million tonnes of plastic produced each year, 10 million tonnes typically end up in the ocean — for mathematics fans, that's 3.3%.

Plastic is extremely durable and will remain in the environment for years. While it won't degrade naturally for decades — even centuries — it will break up into smaller and smaller pieces, causing ingestion hazards for a range of marine life and eventually becoming microplastics, which pollute water supplies and can lead to a number of human and animal health issues.

In this case, the plastic bottle was battered and broken but still presented a trapping threat to ocean life, and if Jesse hadn't stumbled upon the item, the fish would likely have died.

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It's just a small example of the dangers that plastic poses and a reminder that avoiding this material, if possible, is better for the planet and its inhabitants.

For example, stop buying bottled water and instead invest in a reusable version that you can refill from a tap. Or, you could look for grocery store items that don't have an overabundance of plastic packaging.

TikTokers were grateful to Jesse for taking the bottle out of the water and saving the fish's life.

"Triggerfish! Those teeth!" one user said. "Thank you for helping keep the oceans clean!"

"This is awesome!" added another. "Jesse saved the day for the fish!"