Fellow Story
Wilcox authors first comprehensive impact assessment of trash on marine wildlife
A first-of-its-kind analysis of the impact of 20 ocean trash items on seabirds, marine mammals and sea turtles conducted using expert elicitation was published today in Marine Policy by Ocean Conservancy and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). Until now, the impact of marine debris items, such as plastic bags and fishing gear, to populations of these animals has been far less clear.
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“Our study confirms what many scientists have suspected for some time — that there are likely to be substantial numbers of animals injured or killed by fishing line, plastic bags, balloons and other plastic consumer items every year,” said Chris Wilcox, senior researcher at CSIRO and lead author on the paper.