The menace of plastic to marine life

The menace of plastic to marine life


Marine animals are in a fight for their lives — and the deadliest foe may be plastic.

In a recent study of more than 17 hundred seabirds that died, over 25 percent of the mortalities were associated with eating plastic, especially balloons.

Plastics are equally deadly in large marine animals. This spring, a relatively small whale was found dead in the Philippines with nearly 90 pounds of plastic bags in its stomach. And last November, the stomach of a dead sperm whale in Indonesia contained 100 plastic cups, 25 plastic bags and 4 plastic bottles.

Marine animals snatch up floating plastic because it looks like food. With nearly 9 million tons of plastic being dumped into the oceans every year, that adds up to a world of hurt. But if each of us pledges to cut back on plastic waste, together we can make a world of difference.

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