Ocean pollution is a tremendous issue and every day the wildlife keeps gets more sick because of the trash we put into our oceans.  Pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizer, detergents, sewage, oil, plastic, and many other objects are being dumped into the oceans every day. These pollutants are being collected at the bottom of the oceans where wildlife consume them. The effects on the animals can be fatal. For example, oil spills cause a major amount of damage to the marine environment, but that is not the only cause.  Trillions of decomposing waste products sitting at the bottom of the ocean every day. But pollution is not always physical.  Sound can carry for numerous miles in large bodies of water. Loud sounds of ships, oil rigs, even earthquakes have been increasing. Noise pollution disrupts migration, communication, the reproduction process, and hunting.

In addition, marine life mistake pollution as food. This results as a problem because they can get sick. Also, contaminants such as heavy metals can end up in the animal therefore, make them harmful for us to consume. More than a third of the shellfish in the United States are affected by pollution. Animals such as plankton at the bottom of the food chain absorb chemicals that are in the ocean when they eat, because these chemicals do not break down, it results in gathering in the plankton’s system. Then, eaten by larger animals. Larger animals travel greater distances, because they travel, they consume even more chemicals. Marine life high up in the food chain can have contamination levels million times higher than in the ocean they live in. Then at the top of the food chain, these animals can have levels from three billion times higher than the environment they live in.

Moreover, we are becoming sick from the contamination levels in the seafood, or the animal fats we consume. They can cause serious health issues, such as damage to the immune system, cancer, and reduced fertility. We produce the majority of the waste that enters our oceans and affects our marine life. By recycling and throwing away our trash, we can reduce the amount of waste that enters our oceans. Together we can make our ecosystems more friendly and sustainable.

1. How can we take out the garbage in our oceans?

2. How can we reduce the level of contamination in the marine life?

3. How can oil spills be reduced?