Less Plastic, More Life

All types of marine animals are affected, injured, stuck, and hurt due to the pollution and trash that many people litter in their daily lives.

Pollution, including plastic, bags, trash, and other debris, affects marine animals in numerous ways.

 According to the California Coastal Commission, "Birds, fish, and mammals can mistake plastic for food. Debris may cause choking and injuries, and with plastic filling their stomachs, animals may have a false feeling of being full and may die of starvation." This shows that plastic can kill animals. When animals finish eating what they assume is food, they start feeling full, not knowing that what they consume is actually plastic, and they start avoiding real food, which will lead to starvation and death. It is even true that some parents feed trash, thinking it’s food, to their young ones, which can cause more deaths. 

Another way animals are harmed by pollution is through multiple injuries, such as being trapped under objects and trash. As stated in the article, "Fauna & Flora", "Fishing ropes, nets and pots that have been discarded or abandoned at sea are often made from plastic, and can trap and entangle a variety of marine life, from blue whales to small crabs. An estimated 300,000 whales, dolphins, and porpoises a year die from ghost gear entanglement." Animals die every year from nets, and sometimes it gets serious with them getting choked and having scars. This shows that no matter how small or big the trash is, animals die and get harmed because of the trash. 

To add, humans can get injured too, as stated in the California Coastal Commission, "Marine debris can present a danger to human health. Nails, glass, and syringes on the beach can cause physical harm to beach-goers." Some trash gets carried away through storms and travels to beaches and land where humans go. That means that humans may also get wounded due to the trash, so pollution doesn't only impact animals. 

To sum up, pollution is a serious topic, hurting not only marine animals that live in the ocean but also humans who visit them and the water.