One of nature’s masters of deep-sea diving are the elephant seals, which can dive as deep as 5,000 feet and can hold their breath for about two hours.
These marine mammals, which are mostly located in the Northern Pacific, are mostly confined at sea, searching for squid, fish, and other possible meals. They make water dives and are able to survive the deep, cold-based ocean, which has in one way or another made them be of interest to scientists.
However, recent studies have unveiled a troubling reality: these fantastic animals are now swimming through seas that are slowly filling up with what we like to call ‘trash.’.
The Growing Threat of Marine Pollution
What is more, the five oceans of the world are threatened with unprecedented calamity by marine pollution.
Oceans,Approximately every year, millions of tons of plastic waste, fishing gearand other materials pollute the sea. This pollution is therefore not only limited to the surface waters where these animals feed and also reside, but has migrated deep down to the oceans, where elephant seals also hunt for their prey.
New studies to estimate the extent of the garbage patch have shown that it now occupies a surface area as large as Texas, and the elephant seals, which dive down to as deep as 1. 6 kilometers below the surface of the water, are not immune to garbage patch.
Nets, The animals suffer a lot from marine debris. For elephant seals, it poses a threat to their health since they can get a gut full of debris, resulting in cases of bloating, malnutrition, and sometimes death. It also loses its life when caught in abandoned fishing apparatus commonly referred to as ghost nets, which eventually leads to its death by drowning.
Sea,Since these seals are able to dive for months at a time, hunting in the deep sea, they are likely to come across such threats.
Tracking the Seals: Uncovering the Extent of Pollution
In a bid to know the effects of marine pollution to the elephant seals, scientists have embarked on tagging them with modern tracking equipment. These gadgets are placed on the backs of the seals and provide information on how deep, for how long, and at what temperature the seals have been.
It is through the analysis of this information that researchers are able to establish the pattern of foraging of the seals and, in the same process, locate areas in the ocean that are most affected by pollution.
Project that scientists of marine biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz established one research that extracts that elephant seals are swimming through waters where microplasts and other waste are often located deep.
Oceans,The tags showed that the seals were interacting with garbage at depths of over 3000 feet, and this shows that humans pollute the oceans, even the deep seas.
The Urgent Need for Action
The conclusions that can be drawn from these works regard the importance of the action on the international level to fight marine pollution. Even though it has some significance, efforts to lessen the sources that would add to the quantity of waste covering the water’s surface must go hand in hand with it.
This includes measures such as better legislations on the manufacture and disposal of plastic, improved waste disposal facilities, and improved international collaborations for conservation of seas.
And they’re even higher for elephant seals and thousands of other marine animals. The state of our oceans is the state of our planet, and these deep-sea divers cannot go on diving with the proliferation of garbage that flows into their underwater universe.
Through increasing people’s awareness and coming up with proper measures to overcome the issue, it is possible to minimize the risks for the further generations of the elephant seals while they are diving and enjoying clean and clear water.
Protecting Our Ocean Giants
It will be worth paying a little more attention to these animals, as they are rather fascinating creatures that have found their place for existence in one of the most severe conditions on earth. Before, they were able to live and multiply without any substantial problems, but lately, the issue of marine pollution is posing a threat to them.
While these seals swim deeper into deeper waters that are more polluted by water, the effects on their health and future are clearly seen. There is a need for measures to be taken towards conservation of these beautiful animals and the well-being of the oceans for future generations.
ASH CK