Wildlife

Marine Plastic Pollution and Animal Welfare

Marine plastic pollution causes suffering and death for a wide range of marine animals through entanglement, ingestion, and habitat degradation.

Key Facts

An estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean annually
Marine turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish prey and ingest them
Seabirds feed plastic debris to chicks causing internal injury and starvation
Ghost fishing gear continues to trap and kill marine animals long after abandonment
Microplastics are now found throughout the marine food chain including in human seafood

Welfare Considerations

Marine animals entangled in plastic fishing gear experience prolonged suffering including restricted movement, starvation, and eventual drowning or infection from wounds. Those that ingest plastic feel satiated without nutritional value, progressively starving. Ghost gear removal removes active suffering traps from the ocean. Reducing plastic at source is the only long-term solution, but immediate welfare benefits come from ghost gear retrieval and beach clean activities.

What You Can Do

Reduce single-use plastic consumption especially items that commonly enter the ocean
Participate in beach and coastal clean-up events
Support ghost fishing gear retrieval organisations including Ghost Fishing UK
Advocate for extended producer responsibility legislation for plastic packaging
Choose seafood from fisheries with documented bycatch and gear loss reduction programmes