Balloon Litter Impacts on Marine Animals
While all marine debris has some potential to harm wildlife, balloons have been identified as among the five “deadliest” types of debris in terms of the risk they pose to marine wildlife. (Source: Ocean Conservancy)
Many species of marine wildlife, including the endangered Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), have been reported to ingest balloons. It is thought that balloons may resemble prey such as squid and jellyfish.
Balloon attachments, including plastic ribbons, valves, tie-off disks, and clips, also present a threat of entanglement and ingestion. For instance, in 2014, a critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was found dead on Fisherman Island, Virginia with two latex balloons lodged in its gastrointestinal tract. Protruding from the animal’s mouth was a plastic ribbon attached to one of the balloons. The second latex balloon was found lower in the gastrointestinal tract.
Experience shows that the metallic inks and paints on foil balloons flake off when exposed to environmental factors leaving a clear plastic balloon. In the water, these balloons can resemble a jelly fish to hungry sea turtles.
Image by Christina Trapani.
Released balloons can drift hundreds of miles and out over our oceans. Latex balloons burst in the atmosphere like the balloon above, so that when they fall into the water they resemble jelly fish, a favorite food of sea turtles like the Kemp’s ridley shown in the image below with string attached to a balloon protruding from its mouth. Image above by Christina Trapani. Image below courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
A beached Atlantic Portuguese man of war (Physalia physalis) - image on top - and a floating foil balloon, now clear due to the loss of its metallic coating - image on bottom - demonstrate the similarities between the two items.
Images by Christina Trapani.
