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Studies have shown that marine life, including sea birds, sea turtles, fish, marine mammals, and sharks,eat plastic (Auman et al. 2004; Barreiros and Barcelos 2001; Baird and Hooker 2000; Boerger et al. 2010; Cliff et al. 2002; Possatto et al. 2011); however, no study has yet described in detail the physical damage caused by ingestion (eating) of the plastic. Plastics could cause irritation or damage to the digestive system. The ingestion of inert, indigestible marine debris has been documented to result in obstruction of the digestive tract, mouth, and stomach lining of various species (Derraik 2002). Some obstructions can prevent organisms from taking in food, which can result in nutrient deficiency and eventual starvation (Pierce, Harris et al. 2004). If plastics are kept in the gut instead of passing through, the fish could feel full (of plastic not food) and this could lead to malnutrition or starvation. The accumulation of indigestible material has been shown to dilute nutrient uptake and energy gains in post-hatchling and juvenile loggerheads (McCauley and Bjorndal 1999). http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/plasticdet.html

Auman, H. J., E. J. Woehler, M. J. Riddle, and H. Burton. 2004. First evidence of ingestion of plastic debris at sub-Antarctic Heard Island. Marine Ornithology. 32: 105-6.

Baird, R. W. and S. K. Hooker. 2000. Ingestion of plastic and unusual prey by a juvenile harbor porpoise. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 40(8): 719-720.

Barreiros, J. P. and J. Barcelos. 2001. Plastic ingestion by a leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea from the Azores (NE Atlantic). Marine Pollution Bulletin. 42(11): 1196-7.

Boerger, C. G. Lattin, S. Moore, and C. Moore. 2010. Plastic ingestion by planktivorous fishes in the North Pacific Central Gyre. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 60(12): 2275-2278.

Cliff, G., S. F. J. Dudley, P. G. Ryan, and N. Singleton. 2002. Large sharks and plastic debris in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Marine and Freshwater Research. 53:575-581.

Possatto, F., M. Barletta, M. Costa, J. Ivar do Sul, and D. Dantas. 2011. Plastic debris ingestion by marine catfish: An unexpected fisheries impact. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 62(5): 1098-1102. ---1 Derraik, J. G. B. 2002. The pollution of the marine environment by plastic debris: a review. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 44: 842-852. ---2 Pierce, K. E., R. J. Harris, L. S. Larned, and M. A. Pokras. 2004. Obstruction and starvation associated with plastic ingestion in a northern gannet Morus bassanus and a greater shearwater Puffinus gravis. Marine Ornithology. 32:187-89. --3 McCauley, S. L. and K. A. Bjorndal. 1999. Conservation implications of dietary dilution from debris ingestion: Sublethal effects in post-hatchling loggerhead sea turtles. Conservation Biology. 13(4):925-29. ---4 Big rise in North Pacific plastic waste http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17991993 http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2012/05/10/rsbl.2012.0298 Abstract: Plastic pollution in the form of small particles (diameter less than 5 mm)—termed ‘microplastic’—has been observed in many parts of the world ocean. They are known to interact with biota on the individual level, e.g. through ingestion, but their population-level impacts are largely unknown. One potential mechanism for microplastic-induced alteration of pelagic ecosystems is through the introduction of hard-substrate habitat to ecosystems where it is naturally rare. Here, we show that microplastic concentrations in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) have increased by two orders of magnitude in the past four decades, and that this increase has released the pelagic insect Halobates sericeus from substrate limitation for oviposition. High concentrations of microplastic in the NPSG resulted in a positive correlation between H. sericeus and microplastic, and an overall increase in H. sericeus egg densities. Predation on H. sericeus eggs and recent hatchlings may facilitate the transfer of energy between pelagic- and substrate-associated assemblages. The dynamics of hard-substrate-associated organisms may be important to understanding the ecological impacts of oceanic microplastic pollution.

Lies You’ve Been Told About the Pacific Garbage Patch http://io9.com/5911969/lies-youve-been-told-about-the-pacific-garbage-patch

Tsunami Debris http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=77489&src=eorss-iotd

http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/environment_sciences/plastic_trash_altering_ocean_habitats_scripps_study_195325.html