The impact of plastic pollution on whales within Australian waters

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Why do whales mistake plastic as food?  

How does plastic pollution effect whales in Australian waters? 

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What are the impacts to the Australian ecosystem if whale population decline or become extinct? 

What are the current policies in place to eradicate plastic pollution within Australian waters? 

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45 differing cetacean species 

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(Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, 2019e) 

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3.4 million tonnes of plastic per year

(Australian Government Department of Environment and Energy, 2017)

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130,000 tonnes ending up in Australian waters (WWF, 2018).

Consequences

- Consumption

- Entanglement

- Decline in population

- Impact upon the environmental ecosystem

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Endangered/Vulnerable

Humpback Whale

(Vulnerable)

Southern Right Whale

(Endangered)

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Fin Whale

(Vulnerable)

Sei Whale

(Vulnerable)

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Blue Whale

(Vulnerable)

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. (2020b).

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Everyday plastics

By July 2017 all microbeads will be eradicated from cosmetic and cleaning products.

- Microbeads, 

- plastic bottles and 

- Plastic bags.

(Hanna, 2016)

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Microplastics

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As of the 1st of November 2019 Single use plastic bags were banned within Australia

Averaging

5mm

in size

(Sustainability Victoria, 2020).

(Hanna, 2016)

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Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority

Researching Tools

- Google,

- Google Scholar,

- Curtin University Library &

- Credible Government Resources

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ACSSU073 - “living things depend on each other and the environment to survive” (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2016) 

ACSIS065 - “guidance, planning and conducting scientific investigations )” (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2016) 

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Thank you

References

Australian Government Department Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. (2012). Conservation Management Plan for the Southern Right Whale 2011-2021.

https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/4b8c7f35-e132-401c-85be-6a34c61471dc/files/e-australis-2011-2021.pdf

Briggs, H. (2018, February 5). Plastic pollution: Scientists' plea on threat to ocean giants. BBC News: Science & Environment.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-42920383

Cox, T. (2018, June 7). Pregnant whale dies from ingested rubbish. The Age.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/pregnant-whale-dies-from-ingested-rubbish-20180607-p4zk55.html

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00275

Government of Western Australia. (2019). Let’s not draw the short straw reduce

single-use plastics Issues paper April 2019.

https://dwer.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/20190410%20Single%20Use%20Plastic%20Discussion%20paper.pdf

Hanna, E. (2016). Parliament of Australia - Marine Microplastics. Tiny plastics causing big problems in our oceans.

https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2016/June/Marine_microplastics).

Reisser J, Shaw J, Wilcox C, Hardesty BD, Proietti M, Thums M, Pattiaratchi C. (2013). Marine Plastic Pollution in Waters around Australia: Characteristics, Concentrations, and Pathways.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0080466

National Institute of Environmental Health Science. (2019). Kids Environment Kids Health. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

https://kids.niehs.nih.gov/topics/reduce/index.htm

Sustainability Victoria. (2020). Build better bag habits!

https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/Campaigns/Better-Bag-Habits.

Whale and dolphin conservation. (2018). Save the whale, save the planet, save ourselves.

https://au.whales.org/green-whale/

WWF. (2018). Don't let nature go to waste.

https://www.wwf.org.au/get-involved/plastics#gs.8ksax9

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA]. (n. d.). The Australian Curriculum: All curriculum elements.

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/download/f10

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. (2020a). Australian Whale Sanctuary.

https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/marine-species/cetaceans/australian-whale-sanctuary

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. (2020b). Whale protection.

https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/publications/factsheet-whale-protection

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. (2019a). Marine debris including plastic pollution.

https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/marine-pollution/marine-debris

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. (2019b). Plastics and packaging.

https://www.environment.gov.au/protection/waste-resource-recovery/plastics-and-packagings

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. (2019c). Plastic microbeads.

https://www.environment.gov.au/protection/waste-resource-recovery/plastics-and-packaging/plastic-microbeads

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. (2019d). Species found in Australian waters.

http://www.environment.gov.au/marine/marine-species/cetaceans/species-found-australian-waters

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, 2019e). Whales, dolphins and porpoises.

https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/marine-species/cetaceans)

Australian Government Department of Environment. Conservation Management Plan for the Blue Whale 2015-2025.

https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/9c058c02-afd1-4e5d-abff-11cac2ebc486/files/blue-whale-conservation-management-plan.pdf

Australian Government Department of Environment and Energy. (2017). 2017-18 Australian Plastics Recycling Survey: National Report.

https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/3f275bb3-218f-4a3d-ae1d-424ff4cc52cd/files/australian-plastics-recycling-survey-report-2017-18.pdf

Image References

Image 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 – Pixabay free images (2020). Retrieved from https://pixabay.com/.

Image 6 - Center for Coastal Studies (2013). Retrieved from https://coastalstudies.org/rescue/.

Image 7 – Science Alert (2019). Blue Whale. Retrieved from https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-listen-to-the-slow-rhythmic-heartbeat-of-a-blue-whale-for-the-first-time.

Image 8 - Alert Diver Online (2017). Southern Right Whale. Retrieved from http://www.alertdiver.com/Southern_right_whales.

Image 9 – Sea Quest Skellig tours (2017). Fin Whale Retrieved from https://www.skelligsrock.com/wild-life/fin-whale/.

Image 10 – World Wild Life (2020). Sei Whale. Retrieved from https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/sei-whale.

Image 11 – ABC News (2017). Humpback Whale. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-06/a-whale-of-a-time-watching-humpbacks-migrate-off-australia/8683458.

Image 12 – gCaptain (2018). Plastic in ocean. Retrieved from https://gcaptain.com/plastic-waste-in-the-worlds-oceans-could-double-by-2030-iea-warns/

Image 13 – Google (2020). Google Logo. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/

Image 14 – PNG Find (2020). Google Scholar Logo. Retrieved from https://www.pngfind.com/mpng/iiTiJR_pubmed-googlescholar-google-scholar-logo-png-transparent-png/

Image 15 – Ckan (2017). Australian Government logo. Retrieved from https://ckan.org/team/australian-government/

Image 16 – Curtin University (2020). Curtin University Logo. Retrieved from https://www.curtin.edu.au/