Marine Animal Welfare

Marine Plastic Pollution Wildlife Welfare

The welfare impacts of marine plastic pollution on seabirds, marine mammals, sea turtles, and fish, including entanglement and ingestion.

Key Facts

Approximately 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean annually
Seabirds feed plastic to chicks, causing starvation through false satiety
Marine mammals, turtles, and seabirds all suffer entanglement in plastic debris
Microplastics have been found in the tissues of virtually all marine species sampled
Ghost fishing gear continues to catch and kill marine animals years after loss

Welfare Considerations

Marine plastic pollution causes individual suffering across a vast range of species. Entanglement causes drowning, injury, and slow starvation. Ingestion causes false satiety, gut perforation, and toxic exposure. The scale of suffering is enormous and largely invisible. Reducing plastic pollution is both an environmental and an animal welfare imperative.

What You Can Do

Reduce single-use plastic consumption to lower your contribution to marine pollution
Participate in beach and waterway clean-up events
Support organisations working on ghost gear retrieval and marine debris management