Whats wrong with litter in the bay and our other marine environments?
Litter can be a silent killer of our marine wildlife. It can choke an animal feeding on it, tangle and mangle many types of animals including dolphins, seals, penguins and many other birds. Over 50 kinds of seabirds are known to eat plastic and other litter. We only sometimes see the dead victims washed up on the beach. The sight of these injured dying animals is very upsetting. People can also be badly affected especially if they are unfortunate to step on very sharp litter. Power boats have become stranded when litter has tangled the propeller and many boats have sunk when they have struck a large submerged object. Litter can last for a very long time in the environment before it eventually breaks down. In the sea, many objects can float a long distance fouling areas many kilometres from their source of litter. Plastics in the marine ecosystem will last for many years. Wherever there are large quantities of litter on the beach, there are also likely to be other hidden and more diffic
