Plastic is floating around in our oceans and more and more marine wildlife and birds are killed by the plastic pollution we are causing. Organisms are being harmed by the plastic drifting in our oceans and rivers, such as fish.  Fish are like us; they have livers to filter out all the harmful toxins that are in their habitat, but the more plastic that enters our oceans the more harm it produces for the fish and they can die. 

Plastic is also a big threat to sea turtles because they can mistake that plastic bags are jellyfish and they will eat the “Jellyfish”. If turtles have too much plastic in their stomachs then they can't digest food properly and then they will starve to death. Turtles can also get tangled or trapped in fishing nets or plastic twine and can be stuck there for a year before it dies. 

When fishermen want to catch large quantities of fish they sometimes leave their nets and lines behind. Whales are harmed and injured by these nets, they can get tangled in fish gear, even when humans set free the whales they can get infections from the wounds they got from the net.  Whales can die because they swallow too much plastic while trying to catch prey. 

In 2019 a Cuvier’s beaked  whale in the Philippines was found dead with 40 kg of plastic in its stomach. 

Plastic nurdles can be mistaken to be herring fish eggs and seagulls and other birds can eat the plastic nurdles and choke on them and die. Plastic pollution also affects humans like us, because fish eat plastic and then we eat the fish. 700,000 tons of fishing gear are left behind each year and we don't want our oceans to be full of this stuff and the plastic in our waters can harm all organisms, even us. 

Chemical pollutants from the plastic waste can poison the water, which leads to habitat destruction and will destroy the homes for some marine life, making it harder for marine organisms to find food and shelter. Toxic substances and heavy metals can decrease fish populations and impact the marine life that feeds on these fish. 

Plastic pollution can also cause algal blooms and these blooms can consume oxygen in the water, creating “dead zones” where marine animals cannot survive. Some pollutants can cause reproductive issues, making it hard for populations to grow.  These plastics can create bad pollutants poisoning sea life and even the humans who eat contaminated seafood. If we keep on carelessly throwing plastics in the oceans, Humans will also be facing the same situation that marine life faces.