A dead sperm whale washed ashore in Hawaii on Jan. 27, and scientists suspect they have found the culprit: plastic.
What happened?
Scientists believe the whale, which beached in Kauai, died from ingesting fishing traps and nets, plastic bags, and other marine debris. The 56-foot, 120,000-pound marine mammal had foreign objects at the opening of its intestinal tract that prevented it from digesting its food.
“This is the first sperm whale in Hawaiian waters where we have seen this kind of ingestion of discarded fishing gear and nets,” Kristi West, the director of the University of Hawaii’s Health and Stranding Lab, said in a press release. “It’s heartbreaking to see this kind of destruction in an individual animal.”
After examining the whale’s stomach, scientists found six hagfish traps, seven varieties of fishing nets, two kinds of plastic bags, and multiple fishing lines. The whale’s stomach was so big that researchers were unable to study its entirety and believe there were more items they could not recover.
“The whale’s stomach was so big that researchers were unable to study its entirety” what a crock of shit. They have an unlimited budget and all the time in the world. I thought the article was bogus when I first began reading. The previous quote is proof.