Plastic Pollution Choking Australian Waters
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Academic
Study Said Three-quarters of the Trash Found off Australian Beaches is Plasticas It Warned that the Rubbish is Entangling and Being Swallowed by Wildlife
Researchers surveyed the vast Australian coastline at intervals of about 100 kilometres (62 miles), compiling the world's largest collection ofmarine debrisdata, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) said.
"We found about three-quarters of the rubbish along the coast is plastic," CSIRO scientist Denise Hardesty said.
"Most is from Australian sources, not the high seas, with debris concentrated near cities."
Rubbish found included glass andplastic bottles, cans, bags, balloons, pieces of rubber, metal and fibreglass as well as fishing gear and other items lost or discarded in or near the sea.
This marine debris not only poses a navigation hazard but can smother coral reefs, transportinvasive species, harm tourism and kill and injure wildlife, the report said.
It warned that litter impacted wildlife through entanglement and ingestion but also indirectly via the chemicals it introduces into marine ecosystems.
Smaller turtle species in particular ingest the debris, possibly because soft, clear plastic resembles its natural prey jellyfish, it said.
"Our findings indicate oceanic leatherbackturtlesand green turtles are at the greatest risk of both lethal and sub-lethal effects from ingested marine debris," the report said.
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