Marine Debris

Plastic pellets:

• Plastic pellets are small, round pieces of plastic that are often mistaken for fish eggs, especially by birds. Birds feed plastic pellets and other plastic debris to their babies, leading to malnutrition and starvation.

Plastic rings: 

• Plastic rings can get caught around animals, leading to deformation, infection, and even death. Sometimes, plastic rings entangle animals when they are young, causing them to continue growing around it.

Monofilament:

• Improperly discarded monofilament can lead to entanglement and ghost fishing, which continues to catch and kill animals for years.

Plastic bags:

• Some animals mistake plastic bags for food. When they are floating in the water, they represent jellyfish, a favorite food for sea turtles. Consumption of plastic bags can lead to poisoning, suffocation, and starvation.

The problems caused by marine debris can be reduced by recycling plastic, cutting up plastic rings before disposal, and properly discarding of monofilament.