Oceana gathered records from 13 agencies and organizations to examine the effects of plastic pollution on marine mammals and sea turtles in the United States. It found that each year from 2009 through early 2020 an average of 170 animals from 40 species\u2014mostly threatened or endangered\u2014ingested or became entangled in littered plastic.<\/p>\n
The animals documented in the report, primarily sea turtles and manatees, were killed or injured by discarded recreational fishing line, packing straps, balloons, bottle caps, mesh bags, food wrappers, and a plethora of other items, many of which are commonly categorized as single-use plastics by activists and legislators working to banish them.<\/p>\n
Oceana\u2019s report makes it clear that the problems posed by plastic pollution extend far beyond the scope of the examples in this data set.<\/p>\n
For instance, Oceana\u2019s report notes just four cases involving baleen whales, but Kim Warner, a senior scientist with Oceana and the lead author of the report, says this is almost certainly an underrepresentation. Whale carcasses, she says, don\u2019t always wash ashore, and necropsying those that do is a challenging task.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Oceana\u2019s findings probably represent only a fraction of the damage plastic does to wildlife. The report focuses primarily on larger debris, without addressing the insidious threats of microplastics and plastic nanoparticles\u2014tiny fragments that are infiltrating the food web. It also doesn\u2019t cover the consequences for fish, birds, and invertebrates.<\/p>\n
Warner acknowledges the global scope of the plastic problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt affects all kinds of marine life, from the tiniest zooplankton to the largest whales,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve found microplastics accumulating on the seafloor. It\u2019s accumulating in Arctic sea ice. It\u2019s now in the air we breathe and the water we drink. It\u2019s everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Americans\u2019 consumption habits play a huge role in the matter. Researchers led by Kara Lavender Law of the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, recently found<\/a> that the United States generates more plastic trash than any other nation. Factoring in illegal dumping within the United States and the fact that much of Americans\u2019 waste is shipped overseas for recycling, the authors also calculated that the United States discards more plastic into or near the ocean than most other nations.<\/p>\n Still, Susanne K\u00fchn, a biologist at Wageningen Marine Research in the Netherlands who wasn\u2019t involved in the research, is optimistic. K\u00fchn recently published findings<\/a> that show at least 900 different marine species are directly affected by plastic waste<\/a>. But she believes the outcome of the plastic crisis is in our hands, and that if humans stopped discarding plastic into the ocean, we would see improvements within decades.<\/p>\n But an instant stop to the littering of plastic is, at this moment, largely hypothetical. While Oceana has recommended that companies and lawmakers work toward reducing the production of single-use plastic products, the ocean\u2019s plastic problems are certain to get worse before they get better.<\/p>\n
![\"graphic](\"https:\/\/hakaimagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/infographic3-plastic-pollution-widespread-1200x2349.png\")
<\/a>