Saving the Marine Life

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Recommended: The importance of protecting the environment

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Review of Literature
Of all the debris on the ocean’s surface 90% is plastic. That is 46,000 pieces of plastic for square mile (Bowermaster, 2012, {online}). The plastic in the ocean is eaten by marine life and is harmful to them. Learning more about which plastics are the most environmental friendly can help save marine life.
Plastic is found almost everywhere, some example plastic bags, bottles, razors, shampoo bottles, and much more. “To humans, these are items of comfort, if not necessity. But to marine animals, they can be a floating minefield” (Amaral, 2005, {online}). Plastic in 1st world countries have become an everyday part of our lives. Plastic is helpful it makes life easier, but when plastic reaches a body of water it can be deadly. Plastic is often consumed by fish and other marine life.
A common example is with a sea tortoise. Sea tortoise often prey on jelly fish which is often confuse with plastic bags. When the tortoise easts the bag it can either choke it upon initial bite or make the tortoise fell full and make it die of malnutrition or starvation. Plastic travels along currents which makes them cluster together in the same area. Fish and other marine life also travel the currents making chances of encounters higher (Amaral, 2005, {online}).
In 1992 a boat carrying 28000 rubber duckiest were lost at sea. These ducks are still floating our waters 20 years later (Nelson, 2011, {online}). These ducks have been in the water for 20 years with little to no damage has been done to the exterior of the duck. Based on this accident some good did come out of this. It helped us learn more about our oceans currents.
Eating the plastic isn’t all that’s killing. “Scientists from the National Marine Mammal Laboratory ...

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...o Biodegrade?" HowStuffWorks. 15 Dec. 2010. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. .
"Ice Mountain® 100% Natural Spring Water." Ice Mountain® 100% Natural Spring Water. 14 May 2009. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. .
Khemlani, Anjalee. "Photodegradation of Water Pollutants." EHow. Demand Media, 05 June 2011. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
Nelson, Bryan. "What Can 28,000 Rubber Duckies Lost at Sea Teach Us about Our Oceans?" MNN. 01 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. .
Point, Steven. "Polymer Chemistry." Polymer Chemistry. 19 July 2010. Web. 25 Oct. 2013. .

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