Midway Atoll, in common with all the Hawaiian Islands, receives substantial amounts of marine debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Consisting of ninety percent plastic, this debris accumulates on the beaches of Midway. This garbage represents a hazard to the bird population of the island. Twenty tons of plastic debris washes up on Midway every year with five tons of that debris being fed to Albatross chicks. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service estimates at least 100 lbs of plastic washes up every week.Of the 1.5 million Albatross birds that inhabit Midway, nearly all are found to have plastic in their digestive system. Approximately one-third of the chicks die.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 11:12:24 +0000
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