Sycamore Class

Animals endangered by plastic

SEA TURTLES

Like many other marine animals, sea turtles mistake plastic waste for food, sometimes causing blockages in their digestive system. Though the declining sea turtle populations in the oceans are due to a variety of reasons, plastic pollution plays a significant role

studies from 2013 suggest as many as 50 percent of sea turtles are eating plastic (which is more than ever before) , and dying because of it. Another study of the Loggerhead turtles found that 15 percent of the young ones examined had eaten such enormous amounts of plastic that their digestive systems were blocked up.

SEALS AND SEA LIONS

Marine life can become tangled in a variety of ocean rubbish including fishing nets, lines, and lures. Still, there are a number of seals and sea lions that become tangled in plastic bags or packing bands leading to injury and death.

In fact, plastic packing bands and rubber bands continue to deeply impact the Steller Sea Lion population. An eight-year study in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia recorded 88 sea lions entangled in plastic debris. These plastic packing bands and rubber bands can become so embedded in the animal that it can lead to severe infection and death.





SEA BIRDS

Plastic pollution leads to the deaths of millions of marine bird species each year. Arguably more so than other birds, the Laysan albatross has been deeply affected by plastic rubbish through their hunting techniques. When the albatross dives into the ocean to catch fish, squid or other food they use their beak to skim the surface, picking up plastic along the way.

Shockingly, an estimated 98 percent of albatross studied are found having ingested some kind of plastic debris. Once the plastic has been ingested, it causes an obstruction in the digestive tract and can puncture internal organs.

FISH

Fish, along with pretty much any marine mammal that brings in water through its gills, are increasingly at risk to microscopic plastic debris. A study performed at the University of Exeter UK suggested that microscopic marine rubbish could take up to six times as long for the animal to rid themselves of in comparison to swallowing he rubbish.

Of course plastic pollution deeply impacts species of fish, but unlike other animals, this is the one animal that’s also commonly eaten by humans. A number of studies suggest that the fish humans continue to consume have at one time or another swallowed plastic microfibers, including brown trout, cisco, and perch.

WHALES AND DOLPHINS

Like other marine mammals, whales often mistakes marine rubbish for potential food. In some species, similar to that of the albatross, the whales mouth is so large it unknowingly picks up plastic debris (a technique looked at in baleen whales). Studys performed after a number of whale strandings saw an increase in the amount of plastic rubbish found.

‍‍‍‍‍‍A study also found that hundreds of species of larger sea mammals have been negatively impacted by plastic pollution in the past two decades. The obstructions often puncturing and tearing the stomach lining, leading to starvation and death. According to Marine Pollution Bulletin, they are eating plastic rubbish at a rate as high as 31 percent, and in turn, 22 percent of those were at an increased risk of death.