These Terrifying Images Show The Real Impact Of Ocean Pollution On Sea Life

The fact is alarming. It is estimated that in 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. Pollution is everywhere and is a direct consequence of human activity. In these images, we can see just how much marine flora and fauna is suffering from plastic pollution.

Let’s start with this small hermit crab. In 2015, the photo flew around the internet. When you first look at it, the crustacean seems to be walking normally on the sand of a Cuban beach. But when you look closer, you can see that its house is actually… the cap of a tube of toothpaste, instead of its usual shell that they need to protect their abdomen and their stomach.

An alarming situation

At the time, the photo was posted online by a Reddit user.

‘At first, I thought it was cute, but then I realised what it actually means,’ said one user. A toothpaste cap, it can make you laugh. However, it is also a new alarming sign of the durability of plastic. But it also shows the effects of pollution and rubbish on marine life, just like the other photos in this slideshow.

Everywhere in the world, there is an incredible omnipresence of rubbish in the oceans and on our planet’s beaches. Every year, 13 million tonnes of it end up in the oceans instead of being recycled. And there are 100,000 marine mammals and a million sea birds, who die as a result of ingesting this plastic.