There’s a growing movement to ditch single-use straws as a way to reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean. While this is certainly a valiant effort to protect the planet, we can’t help but point out that an awful lot of plastic in our oceans is abandoned fishing gear.

Earlier this year, disturbing photos of hundreds of dead animals caught in an abandoned commercial fishing net off the coast of the Cayman Islands went viral. The ghost net had likely been drifting in the Caribbean Sea for months, trapping and killing nearly everyone in its path.





Furthermore, human consumption of seafood is responsible for the deaths of countless sharks , whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and porpoises. The National Journal estimates that about 20 percent of all animals caught in commercial trawling nets are “bycatch,” or unwanted animals.





Recent video footage released by Mercy For Animals, SeaLegacy, Sharkwater, and Turtle Island Restoration Network reveals how marine animals—including dolphins, sea lions, and seabirds—are routinely trapped and killed in the commercial fishing industry’s driftnets . Investigators documented animals being cut apart, pierced with hooks, caught in nets, and left to suffocate aboard driftnet fishing boats off the coast of California.





See for yourself.