GHOST NETTING
Discarded fishing nets make up nearly half of the trash
in the garbage patch. These are called “ghost nets.” Sea
turtles, lobsters, whales, sharks, and other animals get
caught in the nets and die. The nets are made of materials
that can last up to 600 years. Conservation groups are
trying to clean up the 640,000 tons of abandoned nets
and fishing gear in the world’s oceans.
of Hawaii and California. Debris in
garbage patches swirls in a circle.
Much of the trash in garbage
patches is made from plastic. It
doesn’t biodegrade or disappear.
It simply breaks into smaller
pieces over time. This waste is
harmful to marine life. Sea turtles
choke on plastic bags. They
mistake bags for their favorite
food, jellyfish. To albatrosses,
plastic pieces look like fish eggs.
They feed them to chicks, causing
them to die.
The two garbage patches in the
Pacific Ocean make up what is
called the Great Pacific Garbage
Patch. Scientists estimate that its
total area is twice the size
of the US state of Texas.
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