Think sharks are not affected by plastic? Think again.
Think sharks are not affected by plastic? Think again.
what is plastic pollution?
Have you ever thought about where our garbage goes when we throw it “away”? Plastic pollution is when plastic has gathered in an area and has begun to negatively impact the natural environment. Plastics, with time, break down into small pieces. But they don't disappear- in fact, they end up in the tummy of many fish (including the ones we, and sharks, eat).
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how can we help?Remember the THREE R's you can doing TODAY!
Reduce - Reuse- Recycle! How will YOU use one of the three R's today? 
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Did you know we have a FREE downloadable plastic pollution reducing resource?
Great for teachers, home-schoolers and parents!
how does plastic pollution hurt sharks?So does plastic really hurt sharks? Yes! Plastic bags can be swallowed by sharks. A shark (or ray, skate, even chimaera) can get wrapped up in plastic fishing line! Someone even posted a photo of a lemon shark's head being wrapped up in a plastic bottle's sleeve- it covered the sharks gills, making it unable to breathe. Plastic pollution can even ruin the places were these animals go to mate!!
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is it food or a plastic bag?Litter such as plastic bags can sometimes look like food to animals- such as sea turtles who think plastic bags are jellyfish. Filter-feeding sharks like whale sharks, basking sharks and megamouth sharks are in danger of accidentally swallowing these floating bags because they swim around with their mouths wide open, sucking up all water.
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plastic straws suck- just say "no" if you don't need one!
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Do you know how many plastic straws humans use in ONE DAY?
500,000,000 straws every single day! They're cheap and disposable but they don't always end up in a landfill! In fact, straws are one of the top ten plastic debris found on our beaches and in our oceans. The scary thing is, they can be eaten by wildlife such as birds, fish (like sharks!) and even whales. Plastic straws are made out of polypropylene – this is a material that is designed to last forever. |
plastic water bottles? no thanks! reusable water bottles are cooler.
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The long-lasting effects of plastic water bottles have devastating impacts on our planet - especially our oceans! They are one of the main sources of pollution on our beaches and pose a serious threat to the marine environment.
Plastic water bottles take years and years to break down! Estimates report that 1.5 million tons of plastic waste are created by plastic bottles alone. Un-recycled plastic bottles waste valuable non-renewable resources. So please recycle your plastic bottles! |
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want to do more to help reduce plastic pollution?
Sign up to the a "Little Fin Fighters" ambassador - we'll give you everything you need to teach others easy ways to reduce using plastic every day!
