Impact of Pollution on Marine Life

Though the impact of plastic pollution is already felt quite strongly by humankind, its impact extends far beyond us as well. An estimated 13 million metric tons of plastic enter our oceans annually^[1], leaving entire ecosystems vulnerable to the potentially lethal pollution.

Sea turtles are often associated with the fight against plastic pollution; this is due, in part, to a viral video of a biologist removing a plastic straw from the nose of a turtle^[2]. Beyond straws, they are also impacted by plastic bags, which can closely resemble the jellyfish that some species regularly eat. The problem with plastics does not stop in the water, however. On the beaches where turtles like the hawksbill lay their eggs, the temperatures of the shores have been raised due to plastic particles mixing among the sand. As warm beaches are the conditions that female turtles hatch under, this disruption has led to an overwhelming number of female turtles in an already endangered species^[3].

Fish are similarly negatively impacted by the current state of our plastic pollution. For the past ten years, the percentages of plastic consumption-related deaths in fish populations has raised by 2.4% each year^[4]. Though part of this is thanks to the improvement of plastic-detecting technology, an increase has also been observed when data is statistically controlled. These findings suggest that fish are eating more plastic and that scientists are able to detect more plastic simultaneously^[4].

The difficulty in detecting these plastic particles, known as microplastics, comes from their size. By definition, particles are considered microplastics only when they have reached a size under five millimeters in length^[5]. This makes it all the easier for wildlife to consume them, and thus more dangerous. One of the many sources of microplastics is in health and beauty products, as pictured below, including some toothpastes and body washes^[5]. Though these are often marketed as being more luxurious, their negative impact on the environment certainly outweighs any of the benefits.

Sea birds, such as seagulls, will also ingest plastic, leading to an estimated million of birds’ deaths each year^[1]. When it is not being eaten, items such as six-pack bottle rings can entangle creatures, resulting in injuries or even death^[6]. In short, any interaction that creatures have with plastic has proven to be negative, whether through the destruction of their habitats, disruption of their ability to eat, and lacerations or other injuries outright resulting in their demise.

Sources
1. Plastic Pollution Affects Sea Life Throughout the Ocean
2. Sea Turtle with Straw up its Nose - "NO" TO SINGLE-USE PLASTIC 
(content warning for blood and strong language)
3. Cirino, E. (2021). Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis. Island Press.
4. Stanford analysis shows plastic ingestion by marine fish is a widespread and growing problem
5. What are microplastics?
6. Marine plastic pollution