translated from Spanish: Pregnant whale found dead on European beaches had in his stomach 22 kilos of plastic

to end of March 2019 met a pregnant whale life in Sardinia, Italy, with 22kg of plastic in the stomach, and one book dolphins killed in Les Sables D’olonne, France, cause incidental catches of species not objectives. The high production of plastic single-use and its mismanagement to be discarded has resulted in the pollution of the oceans. According to the programme of the United Nations for the environment (UNEP), most polluting plastics, are in the first place, using the year five billion of them. In second place are bottles, whose annual use is one million. More than 70% of these products reach the environment, including landfills, the other 30% going to the ocean. More than 90% of marine species, including birds, have eaten plastic. Ingest this brings as a consequence the malnutrition of the animals, because they confuse it with food and finally fail to feed properly. This was the case with the sperm whale found on a beach in the access point tourist Sardinia Porto Cervo, which, according to CNN, had a dead fetus. Among the objects found in the stomach of the whale were “garbage bags…” networks of fishing, lines, tubes, washer fluid bag still identifiable, brand and barcode… and other objects no longer identifiable,”said President of the SeaMe group portal, adding that”she was pregnant and had almost certainly aborted until it beached. The fetus was in an advanced state of composition”. On the other hand, “an average of 6,000 dolphins are killed every year on the West coast of France by big industrial trawlers and fishing boats. That number could be as high as 10,000 “, as he explains Sea Shepherd, an international movement for the conservation of the oceans of direct action. Two weeks after finding the dead whale, equipment in land of this organization discovered a pool of dolphins killed in Les Sables D’olonne, where the bodies piled on its beaches. “According to scientists, only 20% of dolphins dead finally washed on the beach, which means that it is possible that several thousand already have been killed this year, since 700 bodies have been found since the end of December” from 2018, said Sea Shepherd. Unfortunately, destructive fishing methods in sensitive areas are still allowed in France and offers the option of rejecting any independent monitoring their fishermen. This country is “signatory to the Convention for the protection of cetaceans and undertakes to implement concrete measures to minimize their catch.” Scientists are concerned because the dolphins are a sensitive species that reproduce slowly with their few offspring. When the decline in its population is visible, it is usually too late”.

Original source in Spanish