Oceana, an international organization focused solely on oceans—and achieving positive, measurable change—has put out a new report that illustrates how plastic waste affects sea turtles and marine mammals in U.S. waters.
Using data from government agencies and marine life organizations over the past decade, Oceana found nearly 1,800 cases of “plastic entanglement or ingestion” affecting 40 species. The authors note, however, that this number is “a gross underestimate” due to the fact that humans observe only a small fraction of ocean-animal deaths.
