Plastic debris is becoming a threat to marine mammals

The 63rd Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) will be held in Jersey, United Kingdom, beginning on July 11. Apart from the ongoing fight to stop commercial whaling a scientific assessment about Ocean garbage was presented at a key international whaling forum this week.

Millions of tonnes of plastic debris dumped each year in the world’s oceans Could pose a lethal threat to whales. A review of research literature from the last two Decades Reveals dog Hundreds of cases in Which cetaceans – an order Including 80-odd species of whales, dolphins and porpoises – have been sickened or killed by marine litter.

Entanglement in plastic bags and fishing gear have long been Identified as a threat to sea birds, turtles and smaller cetaceans. For large ocean-dwelling mammals, HOWEVER, ingestion of seeking refuse is therefore emerging as a serious cause of disability and death, experts say. Read the full article on France24.com