Seabirds eat more plastic than eat fish

Previously, there were a lot of media warning about the phenomenon of abdomen of sea birds filled with plastic. So far, scientists have once again emphasized the alarming situation: up to 90% of seabirds eat plastic . The number could increase to 95% by 2050.

Seabirds eat more plastic trash than eat fish

'The situation is really beyond alarm, it shows us the pollution of plastic waste everywhere on the sea, ' said Chris Wilcox, author of the scientific article published in the Proceedings of the Academy. The US National Forest Science Department said.

Seabird habitats covered with plastic.

Plastic is the material that marks a modern society, but it is also a cause of pollution. Researchers estimate that a square kilometer of sea surface can hold up to 580,000 pieces of plastic bags, bottle caps and plastic fibers. The largest garbage island in the Pacific that we often hear, they are a whirlpool filled with Lego pieces, toothbrushes, foam pads and non-biodegradable products. The scale of this trash island may cover an area larger than the state of Texas.

In the scientific paper, researchers collected data on the ratio of plastic in the gastrointestinal tract of poultry from 1962 to 2012. Accordingly, an average of 29% of birds have plastic in their intestines. However, when using computer models with variables that are the scope of distribution of plastic pieces and habitats of poultry, scientists estimate that 90% of seabirds are eating plastic.

Study co-author, Denise Hardesty, remembers the scene of a dead bird cutting a dead bird. Inside its belly filled with balloons, lighters and toys. He said that when birds eat a large amount of plastic, they will face a quick and painful death. Even eating a small amount of plastic also affects the health of the birds. There are no specific studies for this case, however, each piece of plastic is analyzed to be filled with toxic organic substances at concentrations of more than 1 million times the surrounding seawater.

The more plastic we produce, the more contaminated the ocean.

On the other side of the problem, it must be said of the world plastic production . Humans produce twice as much plastic every 11 years. This means that from now until 2026, we produce as much plastic as we do from the dawn of the industry. And then a doubling of the amount will again appear on the ocean. With this situation, the scientists' simulation program predicts that by 2050, up to 95% of seabirds will eat plastic.

A warning not only for seabirds, plastic polluting regardless of which environment contains it . All we have to do is simply reduce the performance of the plastics and plastics manufacturing industry. Recycle recyclable products and bring paper bags and cloth bags to grocery stores.

'Even such simple measures will make a difference,' Hardesty said. 'European efforts to reduce plastic and waste plastics into the environment are positively affecting research data. The amount of plastic in the seabirds recorded in this area within a decade has decreased. This is a positive sign, however, we still have to do more. '