Environmental impacts arise from entanglement of marine animals in plastic debris and from ingestion of plastics by marine organisms. Plastic debris can cause potential threats to humans when divers become entangled or vessels become fouled in debris. The depletion of fishery resources, vessel damage, and aesthetic degradation resulting in lost…

The public has become increasingly aware that marine wildlife sometimes becomes entangled in fishing gear, such as dolphins in tuna nets. However, little is known about how widespread entanglement is and what its impacts are. If conclusions can be drawn from what few data do exist, the picture is an alarming one. Each year fishing activity causes…