How Ocean Pollution Affects Animals

 Ocean pollution not only affects the animals, it also will affect humans in the end. It is important to understand that a healthy ocean is critical to having a healthy planet. Every living thing on the earth is connected and dependent in some way on all the others. If one piece of this giant puzzle goes missing, it will harm the others down the road.

There are many types of ocean pollution, everything from oil spills to trash on a beach.

• Oil spills are probably the most understood. We see the images of animals covered in oil and plant life along the coastline destroyed on the news. Oil spills are one of the worst offenders of pollution in the ocean. Fish ingest it and die. Other animals covered in it will die if volunteers do not reach them in time to save them. For every animal that dies in this way, thousands will never be born. Eventually the animals will cease to exist. A great example is the Manatees in Florida. These beautiful creatures are already close to extinction. Every oil spill brings them closer to being nothing more than a memory.


• Beach trash gets ingested by animals or wrapped around them, causing loss of life or limbs. Animals do not understand that this is your trash. They smell food or they become curious and it can cost them their lives. Disposing of trash properly ensures that animals do not encounter anything outside their normal environment.


• The number of fish is reducing, due to chemicals. The fish caught for food have shown signs of being dangerous to humans, due to pollution.

Types of pollution that affect ocean life:

• Wastewater


• Chemical pesticides


• Boats


• Garbage


• Lead, which is already showing signs of affecting not only animals, but humans as well