The 12 species that have been affected by water pollution.

The 12 species that have been affected by water pollution.

Our oceans, which are the lifeblood of earth, are choking in silence. Once clear wilderness, it is now a littered cesspool of our accumulated plastic trash. On the dazzling surface and in the darkest depths, minute microplastic and huge ghost nets are causing a calamity at the environmental level. The most drastic casualties of this pollution are the stunning animals that live in the ocean. The problem of ocean species being endangered by plastic is not a specialist interest, rather it is an all-out crisis that disrupts marine life in oceans all over the world.

This article takes a closer look at the lives of a dozen amazing sea creatures who are directly facing the effects of this disposable culture and how their lives are threatened by it as well as what we can do to help keep them safe.

1. Sea Turtles

The most recognizable casualties, sea turtles tend to confuse floating plastic bags with one of their favorite foods: jellyfish. Consumption of this plastic may lead to the death of the intestines due to blockage, malnutrition and starvation. Moreover, discarded fishing gear, also referred to as ghost nets, can lead to them being drowned or them suffering devastating injuries and amputations. Sea turtles are all in a vulnerable/ endangered status, with plastic in the ocean being their major threat.

2. Right Whales

Having less than 350 people in existence, the North Atlantic right whale can be considered to be amongst the most endangered of sea animals in the globe. These are very prone to being trapped by sturdy fishing nets and lines. Carrying these heavy loads over months / years results in fatigue, severe injuries, infections and a dreadful slow death as well making it hard to reproduce.

3. Hawaiian monk seal

The critically endangered seal inhabits the Hawaiian archipelago only. They are inquisitive creatures and they tend to get snuck up in the plastic bands on packaging materials, fishing nets, and lines. The materials tighten on their flesh as they grow and this causes them to get infected, cut off their flippers with amputation and drown.

4. Seabirds

Seabirds are cleaners of the ocean surface and unfortunately, they consume tons of plastic wastes thinking that they are actually fish eggs or some other food. Research documents that 90 percent of seabirds contain plastic materials in their stomachs. Sharp plastic shards in the food given to them by parents can puncture bodies of chicks, causing starvation, lack of water and dehydration. An evil proof of this disaster is the Laysan albatross.

5. Whale Sharks

Whale sharks are very gentle filter feeders: they glide along with their huge mouths wide open, siphoning plankton and tiny fish. This way of feeding predisposes them to microplastic and larger plastic waste drifting on the water surface. This plastic causes a great long term health hazard as its toxins bioaccumulate in an individual.

6. Humpback Whales

These large scale migrants are trapped in their own web. They will get tangled in fishing gears, crab pot line, among other marine soil. This tends to pin them to the ground and they can drown, or have deep lacerations that makes them unable to swim and feed, slowly dying off.

7. Coral Reefs

Although not a single animal, coral reefs are living colonies that are essential to the life of the oceans. The plastic wastes cover up the corals, depriving them of sunlight and oxygen, a phenomenon that favors disease outbreaks. A plastic item resting on a reef surface elevates its probability of getting disease by 89 percent, as compared to 4 percent. This poses a danger to the whole ecosystem that the reef sustains

8. Sea Lions

Sea lions are lively and playful and another very frequent victim of entanglement. Packing bands and discarded fishing nets can wind around their necks or body. The plastic strangling wire bites in more deeply as they mature and a painful and avoidable death is the outcome.

9. Manatees

These sluggish sea cows are found in sea grasses along the coast and in waterways and rivers, which are over-flooded by plastic wastes. They may easily consume plastic bags and other litter that would lead to deadly internal blockages. The presence of propeller scars on boats only adds more to their entanglement wound infections as well.

10. Fish

Microplastics and plastic fibers are regularly ingested by countles fish, including small anchovies and huge tuna. These plastics may clog up in their digestive systems, releasing toxic chemicals; these chemicals alter their reproductive systems. This poses a double threat to fish populations as well as plastic finding its way in to the food chain of people as well.

11. Dolphins

Dolphins are not exempted by the dangers of plastic since they are regarded as being rather intelligent. They may become entangled in nets which has the effect of impeding their movements and surfacing to breathe. Consuming of plastic garbage is also widespread which results in a grievous realization of the nature of plastic that destroys marine life through internal injuries and starvation.

12. Penguins

This is at the breeding, molting and feeding grounds, and also in death. They may get caught in fishing line and plastic six-pack rings. Even worse, they consume plastic pollution directly or through infected prey and feed the same to their chicks, to their demise.

A Wave of change originates on land

This is a bad situation that is not hopeless. Each plastic we do not take will not be another threat on the ocean. By doing so we can be a part of the solution Less single use plastic. Recycling/disposing all waste. Donating to nonprofits that do ocean clean ups and ocean change policy. Being able to make sustainable choices and purchasing and supporting sustainable seafood.

The saga of these marine organisms in danger of plastic is a holding up to our decision. By reversing the plastic crisis, we can help keep these magnificent creatures not only alive, but prosperous by future generations. The fate and welfare of the ocean and themselves, are bound up with our own.