Extinct by spillert

We know the difference, turtles do not

EXTINCT

EXTINCT Unseen threats of marine life in Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i

First published in the United States of America in 2018 by Chronicle Books LLC. Copyright ÂŠ 2018 Quarto Publishing plc. Conceived, Designed, and Produced by Quintet Publishing, an imprint of The Quarto Group. The Old Brewery, 6 Blundell Street, London, N7 9BH, United Kingdom T (0) 20 7700 6700 F (0) 20 7700 8066 www.QuartoKnows.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. ISBN: 978-1-4521-7266-8 Manufactured in China.

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dedication to the Greenpeace Organization, the Lonely Whale Organization, and my home, Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i.

table of contents

10 preface 14 part one 28 part two

12 introduction 16 chapter one

38 further reading 42 photo credits

30 chapter two 40 acknowledgments 44 index

preface M

ost Hawaiians will bear witness that tourism, as a foreigner dominated enterprise, is the plague which an already oppressed people must endure with very few other economic options or alternatives in life. Many end up choosing the lesser options even if it means unemployment or criminal activity. It is no accident that Hawaiians are the poorest of all people in Hawaii, capturing the highest percentage of unemployment and welfare recipients. It is also not an accident that as a population group Native Hawaiians dominate the prison populations. Tourism is wholly concerned with self-preservation as an industry and not with the well-being of the community. In March of 1991, during the dramatic decline of visitors to Hawaii due to the Gulf War, the Hawaii State Legislature readily allocated as an emergency measure 6 million dollars to be used by the Hawaii Visitors Bureau for television commercials on the mainland USA. During the same period, hundred of hotel employees were laid off in one of the largest layoffs in recent years. The striking thing is that no emergency measures to assist the unemployed were introduced or even considered.

While the few local elites and transnational corporations are the primary beneficiaries of a dominant tourism industry, Native Hawaiians continue to be the poorest, sickest and least educated of all people in Hawaii. When one looks at the social and economic indicators of well-being, the conclusion is clear. Tourism has not benefited the host Native Hawaiian people and it probably never will. To understand this, one must understand that Hawaii today is at the mercy of transnational interests. Foreign investment related to tourism went from 70.8 million dollars in 1981 to over a billion and a half in 1986. The increase is enough to make anyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head spin and confirms the vulnerability of Hawaii and Hawaiiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s people. Japanese investment in leading the pack has plunked down over 3 billion dollars for hotels alone in a time period of eighteen years ending 1989. The Australians are far behind the second place with 117 million. Today, almost every major hotel is owned by foreign investors and almost every hotel on the drawing board is being funded by foreign investment. The rapid and phenomenal increase of foreign investment is the clearest indication that any consideration of the short and long term negative impact of tourism is of no consequence to those involved in the industry.

Furthermore, tourism brings and expands the evil of an economy which perpetuates the poverty of Native Hawaiian people and which leads to sexual and domestic violence and substance abuse among the Native Hawaiian people. In addition, sexism and racism are closely interlinked with tourism. In short, tourism, as it exists today, is detrimental to the life, well-being and spiritual health of native Hawaiian people. If not checked and transformed, it will bring grave harm, not only to the Native Hawaiian people, but also to all people living in Hawaii. The plight of Native Hawaiian people is but one example of the destructive impact that tourism is having on indigenous people in communities around the world. All is not well in â&#x20AC;&#x153;paradise.â&#x20AC;? Indeed a state of emergency exists in regard to the survival, the well-being and the status of the Native Hawaiian on the one hand and the near extinction of the precious and fragile environment on the other.â&#x20AC;?

introduction

he population in Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i has been growing vastly over the last 10 years. Although we thrive off of the tourism here in the islands it has become a large problem. With the increase in people visiting Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i there has been a significant amount of species that have become endangered. Since these animals were on the islands first it seems unfair that our actions are causing these species to go endangered. The purpose of my book is to target the people who have or are thinking about coming to the islands. I want to bring awareness to our ignorance and show how our actions are risking the lives of these animals. The chapters will go in depth on the animals affected and why. The photography in the book will show how much these problem has increased over the years. Hopefully this book will allow people to understand the issue and they will consider learning more about this.

part one Marine life is very important on an island, especially when it is a vacation destination. Pollution in the ocean can be prevented if people are educated on why it is harming our marine life.

chapter 1

chapter one

understanding ocean conservation on an island

ourism in Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i has been increasing quickely this past decade. Not only has thier been in increase in vistors to the islands, but with them comes all the trash and their belongs. Majority of the time toursits are attracted to the main island, Oahu, where Waikiki is located. The amount of shops and beaches in this area provides the tourists many activites for their summer activities. Unfortunately, they do not realize that their vaction could ruin someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. Turtles have always had a home in Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i, traveling through our waters and laying eggs on the beaches for when thier kids hatch. It used to be a safe place for them. Now, the left-overs from the tourists have invaded their space. The pollution in the Pacific Ocean has caused many probelms amongst marine life. Limiting the use of plastic would help to increase the life span of many of these animals. Since they are important to the locals and tourists, they should be treated correctly.

understanding ocean conservation on an island

Turtle laying out on the shore at Turtle Bay Resort, Honolulu, Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i

chapter 1

Just a few pieces of plastic can kill sea turtles

ll over the world, sea turtles are swallowing bits of plastic floating in the ocean, mistaking them for tasty jellyfish, or just unable to avoid the debris that surrounds them. Now, a new study out of Australia is trying to catalog the damage. While some sea turtles have been found to have swallowed hundreds of bits of plastic, just 14 pieces significantly increases their risk of death, according to the study, published Thursday in Scientific Reports. Young sea turtles are most vulnerable, the study found, because they drift with currents where the floating debris also accumulate, and because they are less choosy than adults about what they will eat. Worldwide, more than half of all sea turtles from all seven species have eaten plastic debris, estimated Britta Denise Hardesty, the paper’s senior author and a principal research scientist with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Tasmania. “It doesn’t matter where you are, you will find plastic,” she said. Six of the seven species of sea turtles are considered threatened, although many populations are recovering. The study examined data from two sets of Australian sea turtles: necropsies of 246 animals and 706 records from a national strandings database. Both showed animals that died for reasons unrelated to eating plastic had less plastic in their guts than those that died of unknown causes or direct ingestion. But the deaths are hard to pin down. “Just because a turtle has a plastic in it, you can’t say that it died from it, except in very extenuating circumstances,” Dr. Hardesty said. Even a single piece of plastic can occasionally cause death. In one case a turtle was found with its digestive tract blocked by a soft piece of plastic; in another, its intestine was perforated by a sharp piece of plastic.

understanding ocean conservation on an island

In others, a variety of plastic material was found inside their digestive tracts — as many as 329 pieces in one sea turtle. Because of their anatomy, sea turtles cannot vomit up something once they’ve swallowed it, Dr. Hardesty said, meaning it either passes through their gut or gets stuck. For a juvenile of typical size, half the animals would be expected to die if they ingested 17 plastic items, the study concluded. Sea turtles can live to be 80 or more years old, Dr. Hardesty said, with juveniles too young to reproduce ranging up to age 20 to 30. The study’s innovation was to try to determine this inflection point, where the load of plastic becomes lethal, said T. Todd Jones, a supervisory research biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Hawaii. “There’s always been this question of when is plastic too much?” Dr. Jones said. An animal that swallows a lot of plastic might appear healthy, Dr. Jones said, but might be weakened by plastic in its gut limiting food absorption. Mark Hamann, a turtle expert and associate professor at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, said he hoped that studies like this one would provide a sense of the scope of the problem. In some areas with high levels of plastic pollution, like the Mediterranean and the southern Atlantic Ocean, turtles are unable to avoid the debris, while in other areas it is less of a problem. “We know individual turtles are dying, but we don’t know yet whether enough turtles are dying to cause population decline, and that’s where we’re heading to now,” Dr. Hamann said.Jennifer Lynch, a research biologist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Hawaii, took issue with the way the study measured vulnerability to plastic. In her own research, she has seen animals that aren’t harmed after swallowing 300 pieces of plastic, so she doesn’t believe that 14 pieces pose such a high risk of death. “They ate a lot of plastic but it did them no harm,” Dr. Lynch said of the animals she’s examined.

Jennifer Lynch, a research biologist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Hawaii, took issue with the way the study measured vulnerability to plastic. In her own research, she has seen animals that aren’t harmed after swallowing 300 pieces of plastic, so she doesn’t believe that 14 pieces pose such a high risk of death. “They ate a lot of plastic but it did them no harm,” Dr. Lynch said of the animals she’s examined. “They swallow it and they poop it out.” The difference between the two studies, Dr. Lynch said, was the health of the animals. “There’s a very strong bias in their study toward very sick, dead animals,” she said. “We looked only at live, healthy animals that died because they drowned on a fishhook.” Dr. Lynch said the new study should have focused on the weight of the plastic rather than the number of pieces. A single piece could range from a speck of microplastic to an entire snack bag, she noted. “It’s just that this magic number of 14 pieces I think is too low,” Dr. Lynch said. “I think we have a lot more to do before we know what concentration of plastic causes physiological and anatomical impacts.” Dr. Lynch does agree that sea turtles are eating too much plastic. “We have to get this pollutant under control if we don’t want to kill half of our sea turtles.” The vast majority of plastic off Hawaii, she said, comes from the international fishing industry, which is prohibited from dumping its old fishing lines and crates overboard, but often does it anyway — and faces no consequences. “Teeth is what’s needed,” Dr. Lynch said. Dr. Hardesty said she thinks it’s possible to reduce the turtles’ exposure to plastic with a variety of approaches, from incentives to bans for high-impact, frequently littered items. “The stuff that ends up in the ocean was in somebody’s hand at some point in time,” she said.

chapter 1

ew study of the Hawaiian Islands has made a disturbing, if not entirely surprising, discovery: Hawaii’s paradisal beaches have a major plastic problem. The results of an aerial survey, released this week by the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), identified more than 20,000 bits of debris on the main Hawaiian islands — and most of it is plastic, a form of waste that’s considered particularly harmful to marine life. The study, which was commissioned by the DLNR and the North Pacific Marine Science Organization, aimed to determine how much debris from the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, which struck Japan in 2011 and is perhaps most famous for triggering the Fukushima nuclear disaster, was washing up on Hawaiian shores. Debris from the tsunami has turned up throughout the Pacific over the past few years, and the new survey was intended to serve as part of a wider effort to investigate the ecological effects of tsunamis. Between August and November 2015, researchers conducted surveys by plane, using mapping software to identify debris along the shorelines. Although the researchers didn’t walk along the shore examining debris by hand, they achieved a high image resolution from their flights, at about 2 centimeters per pixel. They classified each bit of debris by size, with the largest bits having an area greater than two square meters — about 21 square feet — and the smallest ones being less than half a square meter, or about 5 square feet. The survey found that very little of the debris on the Hawaiian coastline was associated with the 2011 tsunami. In fact, most of it seemed to be ordinary garbage carelessly tossed away by humans. Altogether, the island of Niihau suffered the most, with nearly 8,000 pieces of debris identified along its shores, 46 percent of which was plastic.

Most of the shoreline had a trash density of anywhere from one to 175 bits of debris per square mile, and the majority of the debris spotted fell into the smallest size category. The island of Molokai was the runner up, with nearly 3,000 bits of debris. Oahu, on the other hand, fared the best, with just 984 bits of debris identified by the survey — although a whopping 63 percent of it was made of plastic. Although the density of trash on the beach is almost certainly worse in other places, the biggest takeaway from the survey is that plastic accounted for so much of it. All in all, plastic accounted for 47 percent of the debris identified on the Hawaiian shorelines. Other objects found include buoys and fishing lines, tires, foam and other bits of wood, metal, and fabric. Plastic pollution in the oceans is a rising concern among environmentalists because of the serious harm it can cause to marine organisms. Plastic debris is frequently found tangled up in the stomachs of birds who mistook it for food or wrapped around the bodies of drowned sea turtles and other swimming animals. One of the biggest concerns in recent years has been the issue of microplastics — these are tiny bits of plastic, less than 5 millimeters in diameter. The problem with plastic is that it doesn’t decompose in the way that organic material does. Instead, when it’s dumped into the ocean or other bodies of water, it tends to break down over time into smaller and smaller pieces. These tiny bits of plastic can easily be mistaken for food by birds, small fish or filter feeders, such as clams and sea cucumbers. This is bad enough, as plastic obviously carries no nutritional value for the animals who eat it — but certain types of plastics are also known to pick up other types of chemical contaminants in the water, making them especially toxic. Scientists suspect that they might then leach these toxins into the bodies of animals who consume them.

understanding ocean conservation on an island

Makapuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;u Beach Park, Honolulu, Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i

chapter 1

Hawai’i is recognized around the world for our beautiful beaches. Unfortunately we cannot say they are pristine, because they’ve been so seriously impacted by our trash.

o far, there’s been a major lack of research on the ecological effects of microplastics, but recent studies have suggested that they might bring about reproductive problems in oysters, reduce survival in baby fish and cause a variety of similar complications in other shellfish, marine worms and even algae. Altogether, research has suggested that millions of metric tons of plastic make their way into the oceans each year. And a report earlier this year from the World Economic Forum predicted that plastic in the oceans might outweigh fish, pound for pound, by the year 2050. The findings on the Hawaiian islands are just the latest symptom of the world’s plastic problem. In a statement on the survey’s findings, Hawaii’s DLNR Chair Suzanne Case said: “Hawaii is recognized around the world for our beautiful beaches. Unfortunately we cannot say they are pristine, because they’ve been so seriously impacted by our trash.”And it’s not necessarily just trash that’s been generated by people on the Hawaiian islands, either. 22

The report points out that Hawaii is in a part of the Pacific strongly affected by a system of rotating ocean currents known as the Central Pacific Gyre, which is fed by currents stretching from Japan to California. “Because a circulating body of water collects debris in its center, the coastlines of Hawaii receive significant quantities of debris each year,” the report notes. The survey found that much of the resulting debris tends to wash up on the islands’ northern- and eastern-facing shores. The report adds that the debris problem could threaten human health by creating obstacles for boating and other forms of recreation. And, ultimately, it could have major detrimental effects on Hawaii’s economically important tourism industry. But perhaps most important, the findings highlight what many scientists and conservationists are citing as an increasingly alarming environmental problem — one that could have far-reaching consequences on marine ecosystems for years to come.

understanding ocean conservation on an island

Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i

Plastic pollution in the oceans is a rising concern among environmentalists because of the serious harm it can cause to marine organisms.

chapter 1

n recent years, people have started cutting down on plastic consumption, as we have realised the effects plastic can have on the environment and our oceans. But although most people know that plastic cannot be absorbed back into the environment, there are many that are unaware just how much plastic ends up in our oceans - and how detrimental this can be. In addition to being bad for the environment, the amount of plastic in the ocean continues to grow - affecting wildlife and humans alike. Although it is difficult to identify exactly how much plastic is in the ocean due to micro-particles and the amount that has sunk to the bottom, most scientists estimate that eight million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans each year - adding to the estimated 150 million metric tons currently circulating our oceans. To put that number into perspective, the amount is equivalent to a garbage truck full of plastic dumping plastic into the ocean every minute. And that figure is only expected to increase as plastic production and consumption continue. According to the Ocean Conservancy, in less than 10 years, scientists predict there will be 250 million metric tons in the ocean and by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish. 24

Bottom Right Corner: Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii Upper Left Corner: Yokohama Bay, Honolulu, Hawaii

understanding ocean conservation on an island

Hunakai Beach, Honolulu, Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i

The world is currently producing nearly 300 million tons of plastic each year - a significant amount of which will end up in the oceans. Unfortunately, although plastic is a useful product, many of these products are created for single-use - with an estimated 50 per cent of plastic used once and thrown away. Not only is this harmful to the environment and the oceans, but it is also harmful to wildlife - where it impacts nearly 700 species in the ocean, and humans. According to the Ocean Conservancy, plastic has been found in more than 60 per cent of all seabirds and 100 per cent of sea turtle species. Ingesting plastic has life-threatening effects on wildlife - and this plastic eventually ends up being digested by humans. Brits who consume fish are at risk of consuming 11,000 fragments of plastic each year, according to a recent Belgian study. Currently, only nine per cent of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plastic is recycled - a problem because most plastics are not biodegradable and typically take more than 400 years to degrade.

And it never fully degrades, rather it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces that are eventually ingested by marine life. Single-use plastics are the worst offenders and include plastic bags, food packaging, and straws. Most of the plastic produced is used in packaging - which accounts for more than 40 per cent of non-fibre plastic, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances. However, nearly all solid plastic, such as water bottles, are capable of being recycled. While a complete solution to the plastic problem is likely years away, small changes can make a big difference. Choosing to forgo straws, as many restaurants have begun to do, lessens the plastic waste and protects wildlife. Switching to reusable bags when shopping can also make a difference - as single-use plastic bags are a large part of the problem.

chapter 1

If each person dedicated their attention to the plastic issue, the detrimental effects of plastic on the world could be lessened.

nd knowing the proper way to recycle common plastics is necessary if humans want to keep plastics from the ocean. Another potential solution, found recently by accident, relies on a mutant enzyme that is capable of breaking down plastic bottles. Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists accidentally discovered the enzyme - which could recycle plastic for reuse as plastic and fundamentally reduce the amount of plastic in the environment, according to the studyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s author, University of Portsmouth professor John McGeehan. If each person dedicated their attention to the plastic issue, the detrimental effects of plastic on the world could be lessened.

understanding ocean conservation on an island

Yokohama Bay, Honolulu, Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i

part two The impact of plastic has been drastically increases over the past decade. Limiting the use of plastic in your everyday life could help the health of marine life as well as prevent creating more pollution.

chapter 2

chapter two

limiting the use of plastic in everyday life

or the last half-century, plastic has become an integral part of our daily life. From furniture to grocery bags, from vehicle parts to toys, plastic is an unavoidable element of our lives in a variety of forms. However, from being regarded as a very vital presence in the contemporary world, plastic has now come to be looked upon as a material of immense potential destruction and harm. As is commonly known, plastic isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t biodegradable, which accentuates the threat of lingering waste plastic for years and for generations to come. According to estimates, people around the world throw away almost four million tons of trash every day, of which 12.8% is plastic, polluting land, air and water. While plastic thrown into landfills contaminates the soil and groundwater with harmful chemicals and microorganisms, theÂ effects of marine pollutionÂ caused by plastic are immeasurable.

limiting the use of plastic in everyday life

North Shore, Honolulu, Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i

chapter 2

Turtle Bay Resort, Honolulu, Hawai’i

ast month, more than 30 Hawaii marine debris experts, scientists and eco-advocates spent a week in San Diego at the sixth International Marine Debris Conference. The Hawaii contingent joined more than 700 attendees from 50 countries, a considerable increase from the fifth IMDC, held in Honolulu with 200+ attending. Dianna Cohen, a co-founder and CEO of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, referred to this upswing as a “total revolution, a blossoming. All the studies on microplastics, microfibers and defining marine debris as plastic is a huge shift.” Cohen is also an artist and curator, and spent years crafting elaborate artwork out of plastics and marine debris before an epiphany led her to help found PPC in 2011. She said she witnessed the plastic in her art degrading over time, and realized that’s also what happens in the world’s oceans, as smaller and smaller plastic pieces and fibers are ingested by sea life of all kinds: fish, turtles, crabs, plankton and seabirds, whose carcasses are sometimes found with more than a hundred plastic pieces in their bellies. 32

“I don’t want to take on the entire petrochemical industry,” says Cohen, “I believe we should go for the low hanging fruit.” She believes local legislative campaigns to restrict plastic bags, polystyrene, straws and bottled water are all doable.” She advocates adding a fourth “R” to Reduce-Reuse-Recycle dictum; Refuse single-use plastic. The opening plenary at the 6-IMDC quickly brought the enormity of the issues into focus. Sir David Attenborough, British naturalist and narrator of the Life on Earth broadcasts stated in a video message that, “If we were clever enough to invent plastics, we should be smart enough to get rid of or control them.” Barbara Hendrie of the United Nations Environmental Programme, North America termed the issues, “One of the greatest challenges of our times.” She stated that we need informed citizens and “We need strong government policies to require a circular model where we produce and reuse.” But keynote speaker Afroz Shaw, a lawyer from Mumbai, India urged immediate action. “Don’t wait for the big boys [government] to tell you what to do,” Shaw said. “We don’t need a law to tell us what is right to do on our planet.” Shaw was honored as a UN 2016 Champion of the Earth for organizing the World’s Biggest Beach Cleanup project on Versova beach where he played on as a child many years ago.

Sunset Beach, Honolulu, Hawai’i

limiting the use of plastic in everyday life

Kaimana Beach, Honolulu, Hawai’i

Habib El-Habr is the Coordinator for the UNEP Global Programme for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land Based Activities. He dropped a bombshell by informing the audience that plastics production is slated to increase by some 40 percent, up to 500 million tons by 2025 and 600mt by 2030. “Ultimately this is a problem of design,” he said. “How on Earth can we bear this increasing amount of plastic if we can’t handle it now?” El-Habr also called for Expanded Producer Responsibility, re-thinking production and consumption,” said El-Habr. “Do we really need straws when we order our juice, microplastics in our cosmetics and microbeads in our toothpaste?” Conrad McKerron of As You Sow works with the big guys. His presentation on Mobilizing Markets for Social Change related his strategies for forming a socially responsible investment community.

McKerron regularly attends shareholders meetings of corporations that are the biggest plastic users: Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Unilever. Some are listening, and are working to modify some packaging such as drink pouches, which currently have no recycling. Corporations McKerron said are not responding include Mondelez (Oreo), Kraft/Heinz and Kroger. He reiterated that there are more plastic factories scheduled to be built in years to come, due to a glut of cheap fossil fuels extracted by fracking, and the gradual shift away from liquid fuels as demand increases for electric vehicles. Stiv Wilson of The Story of Stuff drove that point home. He cited an article in The Guardian that reported 318 new projects fueled by a $180 billion investment since 2010 by fossil fuel giants Exxon, Shell and others, according to the American Chemistry Council. 33

“Production of plastics has gone up by 2,000% in 50 years.”

“ We are living on the planet as if we have another one to go to.”

“ What goes in the ocean goes in you.” 35

chapter 2

North Shore, Honolulu, Hawai’i

ust like on land, even in the oceanic areas, the effects of plastic on marine life has started to be felt. The studies reveal that around 12.7 million tonnes of plastic waste are washed into the ocean every year. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates there could be as many as 51 trillion microplastic particles in the oceans already. While a part of the plastic waste in the oceans comes from land, predominantly as a result of mismanaged waste disposal, the ships and offshore oil and gas platforms also contribute to it. In recent time, considering the increase in the disposal of plastic in the ocean, it has become imperative to take all possible measures to combat this problem by understanding the consequences of plastic in the ocean. But before one can do so, one needs to understand the repercussions of plastic in the sea, which is necessary to take the protective measures even more sensibly. Among all the threats to the marine environment, the threat from plastic is one of the most dangerous ones. 36

Garbage in the ocean – namely plastic – jeopardises the natural ambience of marine life. It disrupts the entire bio-geo cycle causing unwanted problems to the whole marine eco-system. Plastic threatens the existence of life under water right from smaller fishes to huge mammals and amphibians in several ways. Reports say that around one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed every due to plastic ingestion. Unfortunately, several marine species are on the verge of extinction because of such type of ocean pollution. Consumption of plastic by marine creatures causes severe digestive problems which go mainly untreated. Reports suggest that the consumption of plastic by all type of fish amounts to several of tonnes every year. In addition to causing intestinal injury and death of these fish, this also spread the risk across the food chain, to bigger fish and marine mammals. Sea turtles are the other unfortunate victims of plastic pollution in the waters, apart from fishes. Similar to fish and other marine beings, Sea turtles also consume plastic garbage as food, leading to blockage in the gut and ulceration, and eventually to death. Studies have found that half of the sea turtles around the world have ingested plastic.

Yokohama Bay, Honolulu, Hawai’i

limiting the use of plastic in everyday life

Plastic waste in the oceans also threatens the life of birds and other beings that depend on the oceanic life-forms for their food requirements. Most of the times, these beings suffer because of ingestion of plastic or because of suffocation, especially birds, by merely being tricked by the brighter colours of plastic junk. The birds get caught in the debris and end up dying due to suffocation. According to several kinds of research, 44% of all seabird species, along with cetaceans and sea turtle have been documented to have plastic debris in their bodies. Plastic pollution in the seas affects human beings in different ways. In addition to the risks from polluted marine waters, ingestion of plastic by fish and other marine beings also in-turn causes harm to people who consume marine food. Plastic contains a lot of substances which might otherwise be hazardous. When fishing activities are carried out, there is every chance that fishes infected with such harmful substances might find their way into our household, thereby causing health problems to the end consumers. Studies have found that toxins in plastics cause several of health issues including cancers, immune system problems, and birth defects.

Yokohama Bay, Honolulu, Hawai’i