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Dead whale had 100kg of plastic in its stomach
#1
A young male sperm whale stranded itself on a beach in Scotland and died. When it was examined it was found to have 100kg of plastic in its stomach. The plastic was not the obvious cause of death, but it wouldn't have been good for the whale's ability to digest food.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/whale...-1.5381205

The article also lists other whale deaths where large amounts of plastic were found in the stomach.
This is an indicator of how much plastic is in the ocean and how it is effecting marine animals. Smaller animals are eating the plastic and dying and we don't usually get to examine the body. It is only the big animals like whales that stay intact long enough for a necropsy. Birds are sometimes found washed ashore with plastic in their stomachs.
Fish definitely have plastic in them.

The oceans are in trouble. The animals that live in the oceans are in trouble.

https://www.conservation.org/stories/oce...oJEALw_wcB

This level of pollution is creating areas in the oceans called dead zones. 
Some parts of the oceans can no longer sustain life and are called dead zones. The levels of plastic in the oceans are killing off animals in the areas that can sustain life.

I would call this a global emergency. Add this to climate change and the loss of biodiversity and we have a real problem.
Beached whales with 100kg of plastic in their stomachs are like a smoke detector beeping. There is a problem and we need to act.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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#2
Well, now people are slowly starting to reduce the use of plastics so hopefully this wont happen again
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#3
Reducing plastics will help, but it will take a lot of work to remove the plastic that is already in the ocean. Until that is done sea life in in danger.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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