And debris in the marine environment means hazards for animals and humans. How Marine Debris Harms Wildlife Entanglement Common items like fishing line, strapping bands and six-pack rings can hamper the mobility of marine animals. Once entangled, animals have trouble eating, breathing or swimming, all of which can have fatal results. Plastics take hundreds of years to breakdown and may continue to trap and kill animals year after year. Ingestion Birds, fish and mammals often mistake plastic for food.
Some birds even feed it to their young.
With plastic filling their stomachs, animals have a false feeling of being full, and may die of starvation. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, one of their favorite foods. Even gray whales have been found dead with plastic bags and sheeting in their stomachs. Plastic Almost 90 percent of floating marine debris is plastic. Many kinds of plastics can be recycled to make furniture, bottles, and insulation.