Jaws choked by plastic waste
ENSNARED by a plastic fishing rope, this shark is one of many suffering the effects of waste dumped in the ocean.
Abandoned nets, plastic bags and ropes are an overlooked threat to the survival of the species, a study shows.
More than 1,000 cases of sharks and rays affected by plastic have been reported, according to researchers.
But they believe the number is likely to be far higher, as few studies have focused on plastic entanglement among shark and rays.
Shark species hit by waste include great whites, with one spotted caught in a plastic noose off the coast of Australia. Researchers from the University of Exeter based their study on academic papers and analysis of social media posts.
They found plastic ‘bands’ were responsible for 11 per cent of entanglements, the second most common peril after discarded fishing nets – which accounted for 74 per cent of hazards.
The review of academic studies found 557 sharks and rays had been entangled in plastic, spanning 34 species, while on Twitter experts found 74 entanglement reports involving 559 individual sharks and rays from 26 species – including whale sharks, great whites, and tiger sharks.
The Daily Mail has campaigned against plastic waste for more than a decade.
The scientists, writing in Endangered Species Research, said plastic in the sea ‘could have potential negative implications on rapidly declining populations’. Researcher Kristian Parton said there was ‘a real animal welfare issue because entanglements can cause pain, suffering and even death’.