1. ORCA’s Whale Education Month: Marine Litter

2. Ingestion Eating litter thinking it’s food
How does marine litter impact whales, dolphins and other wildlife in the sea?
Ingestion Eating litter thinking it’s food

3. Photo credit: Yamamoto Biology/Creative Commons

4. How does this impact whales, dolphins and other wildlife in the sea?
Ingestion Eating litter thinking it’s food
Entanglement Getting caught and tangled in the litter

5. Where was this litter found?
Yoghurt pot
Noodle wrapper
Shoe
Ask: Can you guess where we found all this rubbish?
Answer: inside a whale .
Problem:
Around the world, an estimated one million birds and 100,000 marine
mammals and sea turtles die each year from entanglement in plastics or plastic ingestion.
In 2002, a minke whale washed up on the northern French coast was found to have ingested almost 800g (at least 100) of plastic bags
Rubbish that we throw away can get washed down rivers and end up in the sea. Rubbish doesn’t belong in the sea and is very dangerous to the animals that live there. Our rubbish including, plastic bags, crisp packets and wrappers can become tangled around animals and cause painful injuries by digging in to the skin. Whales and dolphins and other animals that live in the sea often get confused by our rubbish, and think it is food! Some animal’s stomachs are so full of rubbish they can no longer fit in any real food. These animals get hungry and weak, can become very poorly and can even die.
By reducing how much rubbish gets into the sea we can save marine animals!
Crisp packet
Sweet wrappers
Photo credit: Orca foundation

6. 30 plastic bags

7. Comb Cigarette Lighter Bottle Cap Plastic Pieces Fishing line
Credit: Chris Jordan

8. Humpback whale with fishing line caught on tail
Photo credit NOAA
Sea lion caught in a fishing net
Photo credit Frans Lanting
Turtle caught in fishing nets
Photo credit NOAA
Gannet with rope stuck in beak

9. By 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish
Shocking Facts:
One million birds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles die every year after becoming trapped by plastic or mistakenly eating it as food
By 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish

10. How long until it’s gone?
Activity : Higher or Lower?

11. Plastic Bag
50 years

12. Paper Bag
1 month

13. Plastic Bottle
450 years

14. Apple Core
2 months

15. Aluminium Can
200 years

16. Plastic Straw
200 years

17. Banana Skin
10 days

18. Crisp Packet
75 years

19. Fishing Net
600 years

20. Microplastics

21. Recommended videos to watch about marine litter…
Microplastics (National Geographic)
How much plastic is in the ocean? (It’s OK to be smart)
A Plastic Ocean (film)

22. Thank you for taking part in ORCA’s Whale Education Month!
Photo: Mark Carwardine