Project 3_Katie Harper

Keselica, T. G. (2020). Fish Don’t Litter in Your House: Is International Law the Solution to the Plastic Pollution Problem? Pace International Law Review, 33(1), 115–149.

The concern that plastics, once created, remain in the environment forever, has led to global concern for marine ecosystems. Among these concerns are concerns for marine organisms, such as fish and turtles, becoming entangled in fishing gear made entirely of plastic. Specifically, plastic pollution is linked to harmful algal bloom species, viruses, microbial communities, and changes to genetic diversity, and contributes to the redistribution of harmful substances and the alteration of ecosystems and how they function. Microplastics are commonly linked to concerns for marine life and shows that exposure to microplastics is irreversible. Primary microplastics are typically less than five millimeters in diameter and are “manufactured for industrial and domestic purposes. Secondary microplastics, on the other hand, are those plastics that break down from larger forms of plastic. These secondary microplastics are of particular concern because marine life confuse them for food sources and consume them, causing them to enter the food chain. Recent studies show that microplastics have been found in “100% of turtles, 66% of marine mammals, and 50% of seabirds.” Effects of ingestion on marine organisms include changes in nutrient cycles and food chains, changes in bacterial communities, endocrine disruption, developmental disorders, and reproductive abnormalities. 

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