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• 1 media/1024x1024.jpg media/IMG_1075.JPG media/IMG_1059.JPG 2017-04-27T13:47:41-07:00 Aquatic life and water pollution 36 image_header 2017-06-11T00:38:45-07:00 Many Aquatic creatures reside in the shores of Cowell beach. Everyday people watch as seals go out onto the Pier to rest and sunbathe. This is a popular attraction of the Boardwalk and is currently under threat. Littering is very dangerous and can lead to the deaths of many aquatic creatures. An example of this being when, "The nonprofit organization located on St. Mary’s Island, located near London off the coast of the United Kingdom, posted a photo of a seal last week that commentators called “heartbreaking.” Right around the seal’s midsection was a painful-looking red band of skin, constricted to a significantly smaller size than the rest of the seal’s body" (Irby 1).
  
  The polluting of Cowell beach's waters can lead to the death of many seals, dolphins and even whales. The littering of plastic bags on the shores of beaches can lead to devastating occurrences like, “A sperm whale found dead on a North American beach was discovered to have starved to death because a plastic gallon bottle which it had swallowed had plugged it's small intestine. The animal was full of plastic material ranging from other plastic bottles to 12m of nylon rope” (Queensland government 1). If a plastic bottle can kill a whale, then it can kill any type of aquatic creature. Seagulls also can be deeply affected by littering, because they easily become dependent on the littered food found on beaches. Every time I visit the boardwalk there is always hundred of seagulls circling picnics waiting to pounce on some cheese puffs or sandwiches that have been left behind. These birds are not supposed to be hunting for their prey, but instead are depending on human beings feeding them. This not only hurts these animals survival instincts, but also can lead to them suffocating easily. Many of the left over litter is in fact not edible and seagulls can end up eating lighters and plastic cups if they are not careful. I visited the Boardwalk a month ago and as I approached the Boardwalk Beach, I immediately noticed a flock of seagulls circling above a picnic. As the people stood up to go towards the water, the seagulls pounced on the food and took a bag of cheese puffs. The bird that had the bag in his beak was unable to leave the ground, because of its weight and had to drop it. As the bag dropped onto the sand, all the seagulls dove at it and began to fight for a share of the spoils. They pecked at each other and the bag moved from the mouth of one seagull to the other, until it was torn apart and all the cheese puffs fell out. Soon after, the birds all flew up again and traveled to find the next picnic that they could snag food from. The family came back to their picnic and continued with their day, not acknowledging the incident that had just occurred.     
   
   
  
  
  
  
  Dolphins and turtles are endangered species and their have been many cases of pieces of plastic being stuck to the mouths of dolphins and turtles. This can suffocate them and lead to their death.