The Danger of Plastic in the Ocean

By: Olivia Marino                        

Have you ever wondered how many pounds of plastic are thrown into the ocean each year? Have you ever taken a second to think about all the dangers sea animals are in and the suffering they endure because of pollution?  If plastic continues to be thrown into the ocean the number of sea animals will slowly begin to decrease.

            Plastic is one of the most treacherous threats to the marine environment. Plastic ingestion kills around one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals each year. Marine animals generally eat microplastics because of their minuscule size. Plastic contains toxic chemicals, which can escalate the chance of disease and affect reproduction. Also, the fate of many sea animals is suffocation, starvation, or drowning due to ingesting, or getting tangled up in plastic. Studies found that half of the sea turtles around the world have ingested plastic due to thinking the plastic was food. This is an immense problem!

Oxygen levels in the ocean are negatively affected by plastic. This is detrimental to the marine life. There is a toxic substance in plastic called Bisphenol A. This substance does not get diluted in water, and the debris left from it uses oxygen. As oxygen levels descend, it abominably affects the survival of marine mammals, including whales, dolphins and penguins. Shores and beaches are also overwhelmed with plastic. Plastic on shores become effortless threats to seabirds that get caught up in the choke-hold of plastic. It has been stated that the number of marine animals getting entangled in plastic debris and ingesting it has increased by 40% in recent years.

Sea creatures are at a substantial risk of dying from their habitats being infested by plastic. Plastic is a tremendous and dreadful scare to the marine life. Fortunately, there are many organizations that are fighting to help reduce plastic pollution in the oceans. Oceana, The Surfrider Foundation and the Bahamas Plastic Movement are just a few organizations that are working to help eliminate plastic pollution. Eliminating plastic would establish beneficial effects for our world.