Marine Mammals and Plastics in the Ocean
- Pollution
- Ocean trash
Abstract
The global mass production and use of plastics over the past 70 years has resulted in profound effects on human, animal and ecosystem health. The impact of plastic waste on human and terrestrial animal health and welfare is more commonly noted and described while marine environment impacts are less well studied. Plastics are found in waters throughout the world but, due to the vast expanse and depth of oceans and other bodies of water with relatively minimal exploration, the effects are neither well documented nor understood. Marine mammals inhabit all oceans as well as many freshwater systems, and are often referred to as sentinel species for human and other animal health given their trophic level in these environments. In this chapter we dive into the different forms of plastic documented in the marine environment, the reported effects of plastic on marine mammals as a model for numerous other aquatic species and the marine environment and how the One Health approach to human and animal health helps us better understand and assess past, current and future impacts on both individual- and population-level health.
Field, C., Duignan, P. (2024) ‘Marine mammals and plastics in the ocean’, in Cork, S. and Whiteside, D. (eds.) Case Studies in Ecohealth: Examining the Interaction between Animals and their Environment. Essex: 5m Books Ltd., pp. 256-273.
ocean trash
Cara Field
Pádraig Duignan
Meet The Experts
{"image":"\/People\/Portrait\/cara-field.jpg","alt":"Cara Field","title":"Cara Field","text":"Medical Director","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/person\/cara-field","link_text":"Read Bio"}
Related Publications
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/cropped-images\/stejnegers-beaked-whale-photo-c-marc-webber-0-0-949-742-1618440217.jpg","alt":"Stejneger's beaked whales","title":"Stejneger's Beaked Whale Strandings in Alaska, 1995\u20132020","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/stejnegers-beaked-whale-strandings-in-alaska-1995-2020","label":"Research Paper"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/2015\/cropped-images\/csl-thin-mint-photo-c-kelsey-bickert-286-230-1869-1460-1666302738.jpg","alt":"California sea lion with entanglement","title":"Use of Acoustic Transmitter-Equipped Remote Sedation to Aid in Entangled Sea Lion Response","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/use-of-acoustic-transmitter-equipped-remote-sedation-to-aid-in-entangled-sea-lion-response","label":"Research Paper"}
Use of Acoustic Transmitter-Equipped Remote Sedation to Aid in Entangled Sea Lion Response
Read MoreRelated News
{"image":"\/Misc\/Graphics\/cropped-images\/climate-change-graphic-giant-earth-shutterstock-1798-6-5113-3994-1680046432.jpg","alt":"An Earth Day graphic of people holding the planet, recycling, planting a tree and moving a solar panel.","title":"5 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/5-ways-to-celebrate-earth-day","label":"News Update","date":"2024-04-18 02:00:00"}
{"image":"\/Misc\/cropped-images\/plastic-ocean-pollution-shutterstock-663-6-3817-2982-1610388542.jpg","alt":"plastic trash floating in the ocean","title":"North Bay Business Journal: Sonoma County Pursues Returnable Foodware as More Marin County Locales Ban Single-Use Plastic","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/north-bay-business-journal-sonoma-county-pursues-returnable-foodware-as-more-marin-county-locales-ban-single-use-plastic","label":"In the News","date":"2023-04-11 02:00:00"}
North Bay Business Journal: Sonoma County Pursues Returnable Foodware as More Marin County Locales Ban Single-Use Plastic
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Hawaiian monk seals\/2016\/cropped-images\/hms-nihoole-5-photo-c-noaa-permit-16632-88-5-613-479-1663264446.jpg","alt":"Hawaiian monk seal pup with a plastic bottle","title":"Salon: Seals, the Chunky Einsteins of the Ocean, Are Dying Painfully Due to Plastic Pollution","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/salon-seals-the-chunky-einsteins-of-the-ocean-are-dying-painfully-due-to-plastic-pollution","label":"In the News","date":"2022-07-02 02:00:00"}
Salon: Seals, the Chunky Einsteins of the Ocean, Are Dying Painfully Due to Plastic Pollution
Read More{"image":"\/Misc\/cropped-images\/plastic-ocean-pollution-shutterstock-663-6-3817-2982-1610388542.jpg","alt":"plastic debris floating just under the surface of the water","title":"USA Today: Deadly Pathogens Can Hitch a Ride on Ocean Microplastics, Raising Alarm Bells","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/usa-today-deadly-pathogens-can-hitch-a-ride-on-ocean-microplastics-raising-alarm-bells","label":"In the News","date":"2022-04-28 02:00:00"}
USA Today: Deadly Pathogens Can Hitch a Ride on Ocean Microplastics, Raising Alarm Bells
Read More