ANIMALS AT RISK
According to Dr Richard Thompson from the School of Marine Science and Engineering at Plymouth University, UK, all known species of sea turtles, about half of all species of marine mammals, and one-fifth of all species of seabirds are affected by entanglement or ingestion of marine debris.
The frequency of impacts varies according to the type of debris, but over 80% of the impacts were associated with plastic debris while paper, glass and metal accounted for less than 2%. About 15% of the species affected through entanglement and ingestion are on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species (GEF 2012).
CASE STUDY ONE: MARINE MAMMALS
In November 2018, a dead sperm whale was found washed ashore in Wakatobi National Park, Indonesia. Although investigators were unable to determine the official cause of death, about 6 kilograms of plastic was found in the whale’s stomach: 115 plastic cups, 25
plastic bags, 4 plastic bottles, and 2 flip flops. Similarly, in June 2018, a pilot whale was found struggling off the coast of Thailand. Despite five days of intensive care from veterinarians, the whale eventually died after vomiting up pieces of plastic. An autopsy revealed 80 plastic bags in its stomach.
• Ingestion of plastic marine debris has been documented in 56% of all whale and dolphin species, from small fish-eating dolphins to the largest filter-feeding whales.
• According to the US National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), entanglement caused by plastic marine debris such as plastic bags and abandoned fishing gear results in the death of hundreds of thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles worldwide every year. Entangled animals may drown, starve, or suffer physical trauma and infections from the gear cutting into their flesh. Entanglement is considered a primary cause of human-caused mortality in many whale species, especially right whales, humpback whales, and grey whales.
• According to the Center for Biological Diversity, large amounts of plastic debris have been found in the habitat of critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals, including in areas that serve as pup nurseries. Entanglement in plastic debris has also led to injury and mortality in the endangered Steller sea lion, with packing bands the most common entangling material.
CASE STUDY TWO: SEABIRDS
Back in 2009, photographer Chris Jordan captured unprecedented documentation of the extent and impact of plastic pollution. He ventured to Midway Atoll, a remote island in the Pacific more than 3,000 kilometres away from the nearest continent, littered with plastic pollution.
He discovered that nesting chicks were being fed lethal quantities of plastic by their parents, who mistake the floating trash for food as they forage over the vast, polluted Pacific Ocean.