Effects of Plastic on Ocean Wildlife

Here's some information about the effect of plastic on ocean wildlife that I put together for a poster. This poster was for a project to raise awareness in my school about plastic and the ocean. We also sold fair trade hot chocolate to get people's attention and donated the money to the Marine Conservation Society for their adopt a turtle project.

Many animals, especially albatrosses who feed plastic to their chicks, die from ingesting plastic. Due to its longevity (it can take up to a thousand years to break down completely!) and once the dead animal has decayed, the plastic will return to the environment as a threat to other marine animals.

Info: http://plasticbags.planetark.org/about/wildlife.cfm

Photo: http://www.tripdance.org/IMAGES%20Web/Poisoning%20the%20Well/Sea-Plastic-LN-PG5oct05a.jpg

The leatherback turtle has survived the extinction of the dinosaur only to be threatened by our carelessness. They are now listed as critically endangered. Feeding mostly on jellyfish, the leatherback is likely to ingest plastic bags or other forms of plastic. This then gets caught in their digestive tract, blocking it and potentially resulting in the turtle starving to death.

Info: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090315224258.htm

Photo: http://www.mcsuk.org/images/beachwatch/press_images/turtle_plastic.jpg