A review of academic articles and data reported on Twitter revealed that more than a thousand cases of sharks and rays trapped in plastic
There are over a thousand the sharks and stingrays got entangled in plastic waste that suffocate the oceans and seas of our planet.
Researchers at the University of Exeter scoured databases and social networks for cases of animals caught in the plastic.
The review of academic articles published from 1940 to date has allowed researchers to find over 550 reported cases of rays and sharks entangled in plastic, and as many cases have emerged by analyzing the posts on Twitter since 2009, for a total of over a thousand specimens victims of plastic waste.
To trap the specimens are above all fishing gear ended up in the sea, like nets and nylon threads, but the animals are also harnessed in rubber tires, plastic bags and packing tape.
The number of cases reported by the authors is probably underestimated: among the specimens remained trapped there is also the case of a baby shark raised with a tightly twisted fishing line around the body, which caused damage to his skin and spine.
It seems that sharks and rays are more often in danger of being harnessed by ropes and fishing nets than other species due to several factors: the shape of the body, the fact that they travel long distances to migrate and the search for prey on the seabed are some of the reasons that make these species more prone to being trapped in plastic waste.
The fact that many shark and ray specimens are victims of plastic waste is less of a danger than commercial fishing, but it should still worry us because it puts the lives of these animals are at risk, causing pain, suffering and often even the death of two of the oceans' most endangered species.
For an animal, getting trapped in plastic is a source of tremendous suffering and cause of death: the specimen may suffocate or no longer be able to move and get food.
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Tatiana Maselli
