Plastic Pollution Is An Existential Threat To The World’s Sea Life

Back in June an innocent Pilot whale died and washed ashore on the coast of Thailand. What was the cause of death? The unfortunate whale has eaten 80 plastic bags or 17 pounds of polythene because the world’s oceans are filling up with plastic.  The poor thing stricken will illness had drifted into a canal and veterinarians rushed to provide care for the whale during its last five days. Unfortunately, the whale regurgitated a bunch of plastic bags and then died.

The whale death is a symbol of the problem

Pilot whales feed on squid, octopus and other sea life that float on the ocean the way plastic bags do. In this case it would appear that whale was not aware that the bags were not food. Experts say they have no idea how many animals do not wash up and this case is simply one example and doesn’t even begin to consider the effect of plastic pollution on other species. The pilot whale is simply a symbol of what has become an incredibly significant problem.

There could be more plastic than sea life in the worlds oceans

This problem has been reported about for many years now and it is estimated that within the next 35 years, there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the world’s oceans. There is lots of cause for concern. People who eat fish also consume minute particles of plastic as well. Eighteen million pounds of plastic end up in the oceans each year. We are only beginning to understand the problem and it is difficult to comprehend how to address the problem at the individual level. Hopefully people eventually learn to treat the ocean as if we love it.