Bronte Wells
Marine pollution is a pressing issue that poses a significant threat to the diverse range of sea life inhabiting our oceans. The combination of chemical contaminants and physical debris, particularly plastics, is detrimental to the health and survival of marine organisms, from microscopic plankton to majestic whales. The impact of pollution on marine life is twofold: chemical pollution contaminates the water and food sources, while physical debris, such as plastic waste, can entangle and injure marine creatures, leading to starvation, suffocation, or internal damage. With billions of pounds of plastic and other pollutants entering the ocean each year, it is imperative to address this crisis and protect the rich biodiversity that depends on healthy marine ecosystems.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Plastic ingestion | Seabirds, sea turtles, seals, whales, dolphins, monk seals, loggerhead sea turtles, fish, and other marine mammals are among the species that ingest plastic, leading to starvation, suffocation, or internal injuries. |
| Plastic entanglement | Marine mammals, birds, and other creatures can become entangled in plastic debris, often resulting in drowning or injury. Abandoned fishing gear, such as nets and packing bands, is a significant contributor to entanglement. |
| Noise pollution | Human-generated ocean noise, including commercial shipping and military sonar activities, creates an acoustic "smog" that disrupts the communication and behaviour of marine mammals like whales and dolphins, leading to strandings and potential fatalities. |
| Water and food contamination | Microplastics and heavy metals contaminate water and accumulate in seafood, posing risks to both marine life and humans who consume affected seafood. |
| Habitat destruction | Plastic pollution invades even the most remote areas, such as uninhabited islands and the deepest ocean trenches, destroying delicate coastal ecosystems and critical habitats for endangered species like the Hawaiian monk seal. |
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What You'll Learn
Marine life ingestion of microplastics
One of the primary sources of microplastics in the ocean is the fragmentation of larger plastic waste. Over time, plastic debris in the ocean is battered by waves and storms, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces until they become microplastics. These microscopic particles are then mistaken for food by marine organisms, leading to harmful ingestion. Seabirds, in particular, have been known to scoop up small plastic fragments from the water's surface, resulting in starvation or suffocation. Some species, like petrels, struggle to regurgitate plastic, making them even more vulnerable.
Small fish and crustaceans in the Gulf of Mexico were found to have ingested microplastics, with the consumption rate increasing with depth. Non-migratory organisms residing in deeper waters were found to have consumed more microplastics than those collected from shallower depths. This is concerning as these organisms may be exposed to plastic for their entire lives. A similar study on mussels in UK waters found that 100% of the samples contained microplastic pieces.
The ingestion of microplastics can lead to intestinal obstructions, impaired nutrient absorption, and physical damage to tissues. Sharp-edged plastic fragments can tear the insides of animals, causing internal injuries. Additionally, microplastics can act as chemical transporters, absorbing pollutants from the environment and releasing them into the tissues of unsuspecting species. This can lead to bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals in the fatty tissues of animals, posing a significant threat to apex predators at the top of the food chain, such as great white sharks and orcas.
The presence of microplastics in marine ecosystems has wide-ranging impacts, affecting various organisms, including primary and secondary producers, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, sponges, marine plants, coral reefs, marine mammals, and even humans. As humans consume seafood contaminated with microplastics, there are potential unknown health risks, with studies suggesting links to inflammation, genotoxicity, and endocrine disruption. Therefore, addressing microplastic pollution is crucial to protecting both marine life and human health.
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Entanglement in plastic debris
Plastic pollution in the ocean is a pressing issue that poses a significant threat to marine life. One of the primary ways pollution kills sea creatures is through entanglement in plastic debris. This entanglement can lead to injury, drowning, suffocation, starvation, and death for various marine animals.
Smaller marine animals, such as sea turtles, seals, and porpoises, are particularly susceptible to drowning if they become entangled in large or heavy plastic debris. Larger whales may not drown immediately but face risks of exhaustion and infection due to their entanglement. Entanglement is considered a leading cause of human-induced mortality in whale species, especially right whales, humpback whales, and gray whales.
The impact of entanglement goes beyond immediate physical harm. Entangled animals may suffer from starvation as they are unable to feed properly due to the restrictions imposed by the plastic debris. Additionally, their quality of life and reproductive capacity may be significantly reduced. The entanglement can also increase the risk of vessel strikes as entangled animals may be unable to avoid boats and ships in the water.
Efforts to address entanglement in plastic debris include rescue and response initiatives by organizations such as NOAA Fisheries, which works to prevent entanglements and free entangled animals. However, freeing entangled marine life can be challenging and dangerous for both the animals and their rescuers. Specialized techniques, such as "kegging," are employed to safely disentangle large animals like whales, while smaller animals like dolphins and seals may be captured and then freed from the entanglement.
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Abandoned fishing gear
Ghost gear can continue to trap and kill marine animals, including fish, crustaceans, marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds, long after it has been abandoned. A single abandoned net is estimated to kill an average of 500,000 marine invertebrates, 1,700 fish, and four seabirds. The gear can also damage sensitive seafloor habitats, such as coral reefs and seagrass beds, and compete with active fishing gear for catch, impacting the livelihoods of fishers.
Over time, ghost gear breaks down into microplastics, which enter the ocean food chain and leach toxic chemicals. These microplastics can be ingested by marine life, disrupting natural hormone production and endocrine function, causing shell disease, and affecting reproduction. The breakdown of ocean plastic, including plastic fishing gear, can impact the health of marine organisms and ecosystems, with plastics persisting in marine environments for centuries.
To address the issue of ghost gear, various initiatives and programs have been implemented. The Global Ghost Gear Initiative, of which the United States is a member, aims to address the problem of lost and discarded gear. The Fishing for Energy partnership provides a free solution for fishers to dispose of old, derelict, or unusable fishing gear and recycles it or converts it into energy. The Sustainable Fisheries Solutions and Retrieval Support Contribution Program in Canada aims to prevent, reduce, and assess the impacts of ghost gear in lobster fishing areas. Additionally, gear modification techniques, such as adding escape hatches and biodegradable panels to pots and traps, can help reduce the impact of gear loss and entanglement risks for marine mammals.
The fight against abandoned fishing gear requires coordinated action across the world, with governments and industries working together to develop effective solutions and binding targets for marine plastic pollution. By addressing this issue, we can protect marine life, preserve ecosystems, and ensure the sustainability of marine resources for future generations.
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Plastic pollution in marine life habitats
Marine life habitats are being destroyed by plastic pollution. The ocean is the most vulnerable environment when it comes to plastic waste. Plastic waste in the ocean has no boundaries—it can be carried by waves and storms to even the most remote regions of the ocean, where it accumulates in massive gyres or becomes embedded in shorelines and fragile coastal ecosystems.
Plastic pollution in the ocean has impacted at least 267 species worldwide, including sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals. Sea turtles, for example, frequently ingest plastic bags, balloons, and food wrappers, mistaking them for prey. This ingestion can clog their digestive tracts and cause them to become buoyant, making it difficult for them to dive for food and leaving them vulnerable to predators. Similarly, whales accidentally swallow balloons, and seabirds ingest plastic fragments, leading to a condition called "plasticosis," which causes internal injuries and makes it difficult for them to digest food.
Plastic pollution also affects fish, with over two-thirds of 500 studied species having consumed plastic. Fish often mistake small plastic pieces for food. Microplastics are also ingested by molluscs such as mussels and oysters when they filter seawater to feed. A recent study of mussels from UK waters found that 100% of the samples contained microplastic pieces. Furthermore, apex predators like great white sharks and orcas are threatened by the accumulation of microplastics in the food chain and the bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals found in plastics.
The impact of plastic pollution on marine life is severe and widespread. It leads to starvation, suffocation, infection, drowning, and entanglement. It is estimated that up to 13 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year, and if action is not taken soon, the weight of ocean plastics is predicted to exceed the combined weight of all the fish in the seas by 2050. To address this issue, it is crucial to focus on preventing plastic pollution at its source, including minimizing plastic leakage, reducing plastic production, phasing out harmful products, and promoting circular economy solutions like reuse and recycling.
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Noise pollution
Marine species, particularly marine mammals like whales, dolphins, and porpoises, are highly dependent on sound for their survival and navigation. They rely on sound to communicate, locate mates and prey, avoid predators, and navigate their migration routes. Noise pollution interferes with these key life functions, causing behavioural and physiological changes. For example, sonar equipment has been shown to alter the feeding behaviour of endangered blue whales, causing them to stop feeding and move away from the sound source.
The loud noises from ships, sonar devices, seismic air guns, and construction can cause hearing loss, temporary or permanent, in marine mammals and other sea life. It can also trigger stress responses, disturb nesting habits, affect coordination and navigation, and even cause injury or death. In their attempt to escape the noise, animals may ascend too quickly, leading to decompression sickness and skin damage from gas bubble lesions. Additionally, very loud noises can cause marine animals to strand themselves on beaches, leading to death and depriving seafloor-dwelling animals of a key food source.
The impact of noise pollution on marine life is significant and cannot be ignored. International organizations and local governments are beginning to recognize the issue and develop guidelines and regulations to reduce underwater noise. By reducing anthropogenic noise, we can help marine life better withstand other human-induced pressures such as climate change and overfishing. It is crucial to continue researching and implementing measures to mitigate noise pollution and protect the delicate marine ecosystems and the wildlife that depends on them.
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Frequently asked questions
Pollution kills sea life in a variety of ways, including ingestion of plastic, entanglement in plastic, suffocation, starvation, and drowning.
Here are some examples:
- A gray whale died after stranding near Seattle in 2010 with more than 20 plastic bags, a golf ball, and other rubbish in its stomach.
- A harbor seal pup was found dead on the Scottish island of Skye, with its intestines blocked by a small piece of plastic wrapper.
- Dead whales have been found with bellies full of plastic.
- Plastic debris has been found in the habitat of critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals, including in areas that serve as pup nurseries.
Plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats to sea life. It is estimated that up to 13 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year, with single-use plastics like plastic bags being a huge contributor.
Microplastics, which are small plastic particles less than 5mm in diameter, are ingested by small organisms such as plankton. When these organisms are eaten by larger animals, the toxic chemicals from the plastic become part of their tissues. This process, known as biomagnification, causes the concentration of toxins to increase as you move up the food chain, eventually reaching humans.
To reduce plastic pollution and protect sea life, it is important to focus on preventing the problem at its source. This includes minimizing plastic leakage into the environment, making plastics less toxic, and increasing the reuse, repurposing, and recycling of plastics. Additionally, local, national, and international efforts are needed to address this issue, with many countries already taking action to regulate and ban the use of disposable plastic items.
