Ocean Dumping

Ocean dumping occurs whenever human waste and garbage, either accidentally or purposefully, is dumped into the ocean. Waste can include anything from industrial sludge to garbage such as plastic bags and glass bottles. Because plastics are not biodegradable they simply float around indefinitely until they wash up on shore.

Because many of the garbage looks like natural prey, seafaring creatures eat the refuse. Seabirds found dead on littered shores have been found to be full of plastic bags, pellets, and other garbage which killed them. Abandoned nets tangle around fish and sea turtles, causing death as well. It is currently illegal to ocean dump in the US, and similar laws exist in Europe.