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Q:
What are other
ways that pollution affects sea life?
A:Some 14 billion pounds of trash are thrown into the sea every year. Aside from looking and smelling bad, pollution often kills birds, fish, turtles, marine mammals and other animals that live in and around the sea. Pollution comes in many forms, including air pollution, sewage and fertilizers that wash into waterways. Other pollution includes spilled oil, poisonous chemicals and things that are pretty harmless on land — such as plastic bags, plastic six-pack rings and old fishing nets. Because plastic does not break down naturally, it simply builds up in the environment. Plastic swallowed by animals cannot be digested. What it can do is damage stomach linings and poison animals with chemicals. Also, many animals that swallow plastic are fooled into thinking they've eaten real food. They then lose their appetites, stop eating and starve. Fish, crabs, birds and seals that get tangled in abandoned fishing nets known as "ghost nets" may be strangled, unable to get food or defend themselves against predators. |
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