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What are the effects of plastic in the sea
Consequences of plastic in oceans
Consequences of plastic in oceans
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Why are plastics harmful to marine life?
Plastics are part of marine debris, which are defined “as any persistent manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment” (Gall, 2015). Glass, metal, paper and plastic are the waste materials that are found the most inn the marine environment (Gall, 2015). They are starting to be recognised as a global problem (Gall, 2015), due to the fact more and more plastics are being produced, and consequently, more are ending up in the ocean, and is more abundant in some areas – like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is mainly an increasing problem due to single use plastics, such as straws, and water bottles. In 2010, 275 million metric tons
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Most fishing nets are made from nylon and will affect ecosystems in the shallow waters and in the depths of the ocean floor. In shallow waters, marine mammals such as whales and seals get entangled and leads to external injuries, which could lead to strangulation due to “lethal necklaces” and starvation (Gregory, 2009). These external injuries will also prevent them from fleeing danger and predators (Gregory, 2009). On the ocean floor, fishing nets can get caught where coral reefs and sea mounts are present, which damages the environment for animals and plants alike. If the netting is never recovered, as it is difficult to do so in most cases, this leads to ghost fishing, potentially indefinitely (Gregory, 2015). In a report conducted by Gall, 71% of 44,006 individuals from 395 different species had encountered some sort of entanglement (Gall, 2015). Death is a common consequence with entanglement – all entanglement records in a report conducted by Laist involves dead animals (Laist, …show more content…
Although most plastics float, many sink to the bottom of the ocean, and have been found at many different depths (Gregory, 2009), affecting all sorts of habitats.
Another reason why plastics are harmful to marine life is because they prompt hitch hiking. Floating plastics debris are the most common transport in the ocean and are responsible for the widespread propagation of many animals and plants across the globe. Barnacles, polychaete worms and molluscs use them as a means of transport and a mobile home (Barnes, 2002). For species found in many of the globe’s oceans, this isn’t an issue. However, hitch hikers can sometimes be invasive species o Attract sessile and motile organisms (Gregory, 2009) o Can also provide habitats for the larval and juvenile stages of certain marine organisms (Gregory,
A large problem today is the incidental exploitation of the bottlenose dolphins in the Black sea. The dolphins suffer from entanglement in gillnets, shark nets, shrimp trawls, and purse seine nets in the eastern pacific tropical tuna fishery.
Which means their obviously bad for the aquatic marine life environment & are cause many different forms of damage for them & us as one. On p.g. 23 of The New York Times upfront magazine “Birds,fish, sea turtles, & others are getting tangled in plastic bags or mistake them for food & choke”. Someone else might argue that they could the plastic bags in landfills instead of oceans. But that counter- argument is flawed because you’re just polluting by burning plastic which is bad on our part we’re not doing our part to support & taking care of the earth. Plastic in the ocean isn't just bad for plants & animals but for humans too because of the food chain some of us eat animals as a meat source such as aqua marine life like fish. If the fishermen catch fish that have been eating plastic then it's in our food supply if we eat that fish it's gonna be bad for us so many will end up getting sick from the plastic inside of the fish then what will we do our aqua marine food supply will go down the drain we couldn’t eat the fish since it's basically contaminated with plastic that we’re dumping there instead of trying to fix it & getting rid of plastic bags for good for the good of the earth. We’re causing damage towards the earth by dumping all that plastic into the ocean which damages our water supply it’ll poison us although we clean the water it depends on how big the plastic particles are, it’ll make us sick & sense it’s been lying in the oceans could bring in new pathogens &
According to a study conducted by the University of British Columbia, approximately “93 percent of beach fulmars (migratory seabirds related to the albatross) had bellies full of plastic, with one even having upwards of “454 pieces of plastic in its stomach” alone. (Source B) Similarly, in a 2011 International Coastal Clean-up, there were 964244 plastic bags found in the ocean, each having the potential to kill wildlife (Source C). A major reason as to why plastic bags are so hazardous to animal health is the fact that they have no biodegradable capabilities, meaning that instead breaking down into organic materials, plastic takes 500 to 1000 years to simply photodegrade, fragmenting into smaller pieces but not presenting any less danger (Source F). As these pieces become smaller, making it easier for any animal life, marine or not, to ingest it and suffocate as a result of the blockage. This is when the implementation of a tax on plastic bags could become extremely useful as a method of regulation and
Fifty-million plastic bags enter the Australian waters every year, causing the death of thousands of sea creatures. Imagine you went on a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. As you arrive, it is clear to see garbage floating on the ocean and you can only imagine what rubbish lies beneath the surface. This disturbs me! What are we doing to our beautiful, yet innocent marine life?
Every year, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste enters our environment, severely polluting oceans, beaches, forests, and even the towns and cities we live in. In the ocean alone, it is believed that 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic pollutes the waters (“Plastic Statistics”, Ocean Crusaders).The majority of plastic pollution can be traced back to single-use items, such as grocery bags, bottles, and plastic packaging. According to United Nations Environment, “At the rate we are dumping items such as plastic bottles, bags and cups after a single use, by 2050 oceans will carry more plastic than fish…” (“UN Declares War on Ocean Plastic”, UN Environment). This pollution is a major problem and endangers not only the environment, but human
This pollution problem is so ubiquitous plastic can be found throughout the marine environment from coastlines to near shore lagoons to remote ocean hotspots where plastics caught up in marine currents. And gathered up into huge garbage patches that swirl
Ironically, plastic, which is a material designed to last forever, is generally used for things we tend to throw away. Every year, about one hundred to two hundred billion pounds of plastic are manufactured. Only 31% of that plastic is actually recycled. Biomass packaging estimates 10% of that plastic ends up in the ocean annually. About 20% of it coming from ships and other platforms, and the other 80% coming from land derived sources, such as international garbage dumping, winds or tides, either way it finds its way to the ocean.
Fishing gear that is the most harmful is illegally placed in areas such as near the rivers, shores, and cays, commonly in the southern region in Belize. This region is where most of the small fishery villages reside. Entanglements in fishing nets are a source of many deaths to free-swimming manatees. These nets are sometimes engulfed by manatees which cause their digestive systems to fail. The nets also get caught onto their appendages, which sometimes tear causing a severe infection. There have been several cases reporting amputation of manatee appendages due to this reason. Calves usually drown when they are entangled, especially if t...
Thorson, G. (1950) Reproduction and larval ecology of marine bottom invertebrates. Biol. Rev. Cambr. Philos. Soc. 25: 1–45.
demonstrate that removal of derelict fishing gear has significant, positive economic benefits. In their quantitative assessment of the direct impact of debris on marine resources, four known derelict nets were repeatedly surveyed by divers over the course of approximately one month. Entangled animals were observed, counted and tagged. Using this data, daily entanglement rates were estimated for various taxa. For example, the average number of invertebrates entangled per day was about 3 and the average number of fish entangled per day was 0.42.
Musick, John A. Biology of Sea Turtles. Ed. Peter L. Lutz. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC, 1997.
One of the main challenges that face the environment today is the threat of plastic materials in the environment. All forms and sizes of plastic are harmful to the environment; this paper looks at the effects of microplastics which are small forms of plastic that are at least 5mm in size. Due to their small size, the microplastics end up being ingested into the bodies of aquatic animals causing health consequences that are uncertain to the organisms. This review focuses on the susceptibility of marine organisms to the physical, chemical and biological uptake of microplastics.
Plastic or paper, is a choice that people face when going to the grocery stores. Plastic bags are often the choice that is made. A controversial issue in the world today is the use of plastic bags. Plastic bags are used because of the convenience they give, by being able to carry several items at once. However, in the article, “Banning Bans, Not Bags”, Jennifer Schultz claims, “Plastic bags clog up local waterways, litter roadways, and get swallowed up by unsuspecting fish” (6). Plastic bags are used once, then are discarded or, littered all over the place. When they are littered all over they become problems for more than just humans. These plastic bags pose a big hazard for animals on land and in especially the ocean. Humans eat land and
Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution in every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution. They can have a damaging effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks, and trees. Plastic bags are potentially one of the main causes of death to marine animals (Harbor keepers,2008). Up to one hundred thousand marine animals or more die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This can result in blocking the animal’s intestines and possibly lead to the animal’s death. Another possible situation is that wildlife, such as birds, can get tangled in plastic bags causing choking and immobility, which may eventually lead to death. (Senior, 2008) and (Citizen Campaign, 2010). In other situations, after plastic bags photo degrade they remain toxic and could be eaten by fish, shellfish or any other marine life and survive this allows the toxins to enter our food chain through bioaccumulation (Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, 2011).
Lotze, Heike K., Marta Coll, Anna M. Magera, Christine Ward-Paige, and Laura Airoldi. "Recovery of Marine Animal Populations and Ecosystems." Trends in Ecology & Evolution 26.11 (2011): 595-605. Print.