5 MIN READ
9-24-2024
Meet the 4ocean Captain Who Quit Fishing to Clean the Ocean
Joshua Restauro, 4ocean Story Editor
Behind every great feat is an equally great team. This is an eternal truth that every successful leader or company knows.
Last March, 2024, we announced a historic achievement in the Clean Ocean Movement. After 7 years in operation, we have cleaned a total of 35 million pounds of trash from the world’s waterways! That’s equivalent to 37.8 billion plastic straws or 195 million plastic water bottles. Imagine the scale of this impact! But between all these intimidating numbers and photos of collected trash piled up on top of each other, it’s easy to forget the people who made this possible.
Our captains and crews in Indonesia, Guatemala, and Florida do most of the hard and dirty work to restore our polluted oceans and rivers. Every day of the week, they bravely conquer weather conditions and contaminated waters to collect marine debris out of ecosystems.
Meet one of our dedicated crew, Captain Mohamed Imron of 4ocean Indonesia. Imron has been cleaning with us for over 6 years! We owe him a lot for helping keep our Bali operation smoothly sailing.
A born and raised Balinese, Imron shares about the ‘better days’, when his hometown was still unspoiled, and the locals were able to enjoy the abundance of a clean and thriving ocean. Today, the water smells, the populations of fishes have diminished, and plastic waste is ever-present.
When first offered the job, Imron thought the concept of 4ocean was a crazy idea. How could it be possible to create employment for hundreds of people with the goal of cleaning the ocean?! What was once an absurd possibility has proved to be one of the best things that happened to him. For Imron, joining 4ocean was the best decision he made in his life.
He left behind his job as a fisherman to help us to our goal: cleaning the ocean. This quickly became a natural role for Imron. Since his youth, he always had a deep passion for environmental conservation. He strives to be a useful member of his community by taking care of his natural surroundings and educating his neighbors about the importance of protecting nature. Being a 4ocean captain allows Imron to do the things he cares about every day while earning a living.
Before 4ocean, Imron was not fully aware of the severity of the ocean crisis. His role as a 4ocean captain opened his eyes to the urgency of cleaning our oceans. He shares that other locals were initially hostile to their efforts to stop people from littering, but as his team persisted and showed how serious they are with their job, Bali communities have started to become allies in our fight.
Now, fishermen and the coast guard eagerly help them locate trash in oceans and rivers. More and more people are becoming invested in our mission, with some wanting to contribute and be involved. There is a hint of pride and joy in Imron’s eyes as he talks about his work with 4ocean. He gets to fulfill his dream of being a valuable community member everyday. His 5 children admire him more because of his job, and together with his crew, he continues to inspire both the young and old to share his commitment and love towards the ocean.
With people like him on our side, our mission will live on.
