The children of the ocean, also known as the dolphin, are said to be completely extinct by about 2050 due to ocean plastic pollution. According to dolphinsplus.com, these smart ocean mammals homes are being disrupted by the overuse of plastic and trash.
Along with pollution impacting a dolphin’s health and ability to live, it also impacts their ability to reproduce. According to Sciencedirect.com, when the ocean is polluted as it is in this day, dolphins reproductive hormones are interfered with, and increases their rate of infertility. The toxins in microplastic that get into a dolphin’s body and cause disease.
Another cause of pollution for dolphins is entanglement. Dolphins are trying to live peaceful lives just as humans are, yet they encounter pollution which leads to entanglement. According to fisheries.noaa.gov, a dolphin gets wrapped or tangled in certain polluters, such as fishing wire, plastic, or netting.
Although focused on just dolphins, all ocean mammals and creatures are deeply affected, as extinction rates have increased rapidly.
Approximately 27 dolphins are dying from plastic pollution each minute, which is about the time it takes to walk 50 steps to a recycling or waste bin. Humans do not realize how much of an impact one piece of plastic can have on the earth and the environment, and after all, we only have one earth, and we must take care of it.
