Marine Parks WA

Don't rubbish our marine wildlife!

Many marine animals confuse plastic bags, balloons, bait packets, lolly wrappers and rubber with prey and eat them.

Plastic bags and balloons floating in the water look like jellyfish. Turtles often eat them and choke or starve to death because they have so much plastic in their stomachs.

Seabirds eat polystyrene balls and plastic buoys, after confusing them with fish eggs and crustaceans. This makes them very sick!

Baleen whales such as blue whales, humpbacks and southern right whales take big gulps of water to feed on krill that they filter through their baleen, and may accidentally swallow plastic rubbish when feeding. The plastic stays in their gut and stops them digesting their food, leading to a slow death!

Remember Lovelace in the movie Happy Feet? If animals become entangled in lines, nets, ropes or plastic it can restrict their movement and lead to starvation, infection, amputation and drowning. Turtles, whales, sealions, seabirds and dolphins may be severely injured and even die if they become entangled.

Marine park rangers from the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) help to educate boat users and other marine park users about disposing of plastic bags and other rubbish thoughtfully. Next time you are visiting Western Australia's marine parks or any of the State's many other beautiful marine areas, make sure to put your rubbish in the bin.

Useful/Interesting Links

(Links open in a new window)

• Death of a Bryde’s whale in Cairns Inlet
• “Plastic bags turtles biggest killer”

Gallery

• A sealion entangled in rope A sealion entangled in rope
• This sealion will slowly become emaciated because it can’t feed properly This sealion will slowly become emaciated because it can’t feed properly
• A dead whale entangled in fishing gear A dead whale entangled in fishing gear
• A southern right whale has become entangled in ropes and floats. DEC was able to cut it free. A southern right whale has become entangled in ropes and floats. DEC was able to cut it free.
• This turtle died due to trying to eat a plastic bag. This turtle died due to trying to eat a plastic bag.
• A sealion pup in trouble! DEC was able to rescue it. A sealion pup in trouble! DEC was able to rescue it.
• Marine rubbish led to the death of this little penguin. Marine rubbish led to the death of this little penguin.
• Tangled in fishing line and sinker. Tangled in fishing line and sinker.
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