Ocean Trash Can Effect Wildlife.
One of the many effects that Ocean Trash has on our wildlife is that it is very harmful to the animals that thrive underwater. As you can see pictured right, the plastic soda can holder has been caught around this turtle. And this looks like it happened when it was young because its shell has conformed around it as it has been getting bigger. This is a problem because even though the shell has grown out to be a weird shape, its vital organs are in there squished together, and since its stomach is squished it may not be able to absorb all of the nutrients its food provides, also it may feel full by only eating a small amount of food. The plastics can also contain many harmful chemicals. This is a problem because not only the tutrle pupulation is effected by events such as these, the entire Ocean population is effected by it one way or another.
Ocean Trash Can Effect the Ocean Floor.
Once trash gets introduced into the ocean floor it can have detrimental effects on our coral reefs. For example, plastic bags can smother the plants living on the ocean floor and they cant feed off of the phytoplankton and zooplankton that are abundant all over the ocean. Also, the fishing lines that either get lost or break from fisherman can get tangled around the plants and suffocate or even break the corral. There have been efforts to try and remove the trash with a technique called "Mechanical Beach Raking". This method involves using a tractor or other mechanical device to try and "rake" the trash from marine shorelines and beaches. But, the raking can often happen too close to the floor and disturb or often destroy nests and aquatic vegetation.
Effects: Oscar