Dead Whale With THIRTY INTACT Plastic Bags In Stomach - - - WHAT?!

a reply to: tribal

Maybe something to do with the shear amount of bags being discarded daily. Also what phage said they likely mistake them for food.

Plastic bags have been around for 30 years now. It is estimated world wide that 1 trillion bags are used and discarded every year. Australians use 3.92 billion plastic bags a year, that's over 10 million new bags being used every day.

Source

a reply to: Liquesence

Looked like a dolphin.

We don't deserve this planet.

As pointed out and quite obvious - plastic bags floating around in the ocean are clearly mistaken as jellyfish. If you consider the size of a whale's mouth - do you really think they're going to take a little bite to see what it tastes like? They just open their giant mouths and let anything that resembles food go right through.

Nothing weird or strange about it at all. Certainly a damn shame though and I'd hope we as humans are able to figure out some smart solutions to the issue.

originally posted by: Navieko
Nothing weird or strange about it at all. Certainly a damn shame though and I'd hope we as humans are able to figure out some smart solutions to the issue.

There's a big change in California in the last few months. Earlier last year the grocery store would put all your food in plastic bags for free. Later last year, they started charging 10 cents per bag and encouraged people to bring their own re-usable bags which they would pack instead for free. A few people are paying the bag surcharge still but from the small sample I've seen, the majority are now bringing re-usable bags so I think it's making a difference.

Nation's first statewide plastic-bag ban now in effect across California

California now has the nation’s first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. The restrictions apply to large food retailers, pharmacies, corner markets and liquor stores but not restaurants or department stores.

Businesses can still offer paper bags and thicker plastic bags as long as they charge at least 10 cents for each of those items — a move crafted to encourage folks to tote their own reusable sacks.

My observations are merely anecdotal, but I'm looking forward to seeing some data on how successful this measure is at getting people to bring their own re-usable bags.

The other thing I noticed is the bags they charge 10 cents for now at my local stores are much thicker and more opaque than the old free bags, and probably would look much less like a jellyfish underwater, though I don't know if that would be enough to stop sea creatures from eating them or not.

a reply to: Arbitrageur
True that's something I've noticed happening at our supermarkets here in Australia as well. Definitely a good solution which I'd have to imagine is/will be effective.

I have also seen a few Ted talks offering up solutions such as the one below:

originally posted by: slider1982
Easy explanation,

That bat #e crazy bag lady that has lots of cats was taking a paddle to wash her pee smelling cloths, said lady went a bit to deep into the sea and said whale ate her along with 30 odd bags..

The real tragic part of this story is a house full of staving cats all trying to eat each other in a feline version of resident evil...




Sometimes I feel I am wasted here.




RA

I like that you realized you didn't have to explain that every "cazy cat lady" is assumed to be in possession of at least 30 plastic bags at any given time.

'cuz it's true.

a reply to: tribal

Plastic bags floating in the ocean look an awful lot like jellyfish floating in the ocean. Big fat whales don't necessarily have the energy go up, sniff the item, and then circle back a bit later when they determine it's real prey.

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: Liquesence

Looked like a dolphin.

It does, but it's not. It's a goose-beaked whale.

Even though both whales and dolphins are mammals, same class and infraorder.