Marine Animal Welfare

Marine Plastic Pollution Wildlife

Marine plastic pollution causes documented welfare impacts on individual marine animals through ingestion, entanglement, and habitat degradation affecting species from seabirds to whales.

Key Facts

Over 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean annually
Seabirds feed plastic to chicks causing malnutrition and gut obstruction
Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish prey causing internal injury
Ghost fishing gear entangles and drowns marine mammals and sea turtles
Microplastics are found in the tissues of marine species at all levels of the food web

Welfare Considerations

Marine plastic pollution causes real, documented welfare harms to individual animals through ingestion injury, entanglement, and toxin accumulation. The scale and persistence of plastic pollution makes it one of the most significant ongoing causes of marine wildlife welfare harm, requiring both systemic reduction and individual action.

What You Can Do

Reduce single-use plastic consumption to prevent marine pollution
Support organisations cleaning plastic from marine environments
Advocate for policies requiring plastic producers to fund cleanup and prevention