Marine Animals At Risk

Plastic pollution is a very large problem world wide and there are many articles that capture how significant this problem really is. An article called “Ocean Plastics Pollution: A Global Tragedy for Our Oceans and Sea Life” found on http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-marine-pollution/ explains how garbage is getting dumped into our oceans and how it is affecting marine life. Along with this, an article called “Marine Pollution” found on http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-marine-pollution/ also provides some information on ocean pollution but mostly focuses on how the debris in the ocean is harming oceanic creatures. Both of these articles are from reliable websites such as National Geographic and provide trust worthy information on the issue.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sailing-the-atlantic-ocean-to-study-plastic-pollution

Q: How does plastic ingestion affect fish and marine animals?

A: When marine animals ingest plastic, it causes many internal injuries such as a blockage of their digestive systems. This ultimately leads to internal injuries which in many cases results in death. When the animals die off, the population of that species decreases which occasionally leads to a certain species to become endangered.  

Q: How does all of this garbage get to into our oceans?

A: Debris such as plastics often find their way to our oceans just by being dumped into them. Ships often dump plastics into the oceans but they can also drift from land to ocean. If garbage finds it’s way into rivers or streams, it can drift all the way into the ocean. In addition to this, fisheries often leave their nets in the ocean. When these nets are drifting around in the depths of our waters, there is a very large chance that fish and other marine life will swim into them and become entangled. When marine animals become entangled in nets, it is very hard for them to escape so ultimately when fish become entangled, they will die.

Q: How does ocean pollution affect humans?

A: Many may think that ocean pollution only affects marine life and not humans, but that is actually untrue. When a fish consumes plastic, all the toxins that plastics give off remain in the fish. When smaller fish consume plastic and are eaten by larger fish, the toxins are still passed down the food chain. And when these larger fish are consumed by humans, there is a possibly that there will indeed be plastic toxins inside. Although in many cases these plastics are not visible to the naked eye which is why most people are unaware of this issue. Although most fish that humans eat are perfectly fine, there is always a chance that there are remains of plastic bits or toxins inside.

Discussion Question: What can be done to stop or help the issue with ocean pollution?