Plastic is essential in our life. It is well known. Plastic has also caused serious white pollution, shopping malls have switched to biodegradable plastic bags, businesses have banned foam lunch boxes, however, an often-neglected plastic products are also in serious harm to our world, which is plastic swabs. What we don't realize is that it is plastic swabs, a household item that can be found everywhere in our lives, that are secretly harming seahorses.
To avoid being swept away by rapids, seahorses usually hook their tails to coral or seaweed.
Plastic swabs act as a support for the smaller seahorses. However, since the swabs go with the waves, the seahorses need to expend a lot of physical energy to maintain their balance, and they are likely to die of exhaustion during the struggle with the waves.
In addition to plastic swabs, other plastic products such as plastic ropes and nets also deeply harm seahorses. Plastic swabs are not the only killers of seahorses, but also of marine life.
The Indian Ocean is known to have the most abundant marine life, but at the same time, there is also a lot of plastic waste flowing into the ocean every year. Plastic pollution is dangerous for marine animals: birds and fish can die from ingesting too much plastic.
Plastic accounts for 85% of marine litter and is the most significant marine pollutant. Some studies suggest that the amount of plastic pollution flowing into the oceans will nearly triple by 2040, increasing pollution to 23-37 million tons per year, which means about 50 kilograms of plastic per meter of coastline globally.
Some studies predict that by 2050, the total weight of plastic trash in the oceans may exceed that of fish. Looking at the plastic garbage crowding the beach, in order to deal with white pollution, we should also take active action. Protect nature, start from the side, boycott prohibited plastic products, always in action!
