Marine debris including plastic bags, fishing line, and packaging entangles and kills marine animals globally. Reducing plastic at source and improving waste management saves animal lives.
Marine debris causes individual animals to experience prolonged suffering through entanglement, internal injury from ingestion, and starvation from blocked digestive systems. Sea turtles wrapped in discarded fishing line may take months to die from the constriction. Seabirds feed plastic to chicks that then starve with full-feeling stomachs. Whales die from digestive blockages from ingested plastic bags. Beyond individual animals, microplastic contamination affects marine ecosystems at every level. The welfare case for urgent plastic reduction is strong, and the solutions — better waste management, producer responsibility legislation, and reduced single-use plastic production — are well understood.