Plastic shower hose pulled from dead dolphin’s stomach on Fort Myers Beach

Another dead dolphin with a stomach full of plastic was discovered in Florida.

The seven foot male dolphin washed ashore on Fort Myers Beach in Big Carlos Pass, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced on Friday.
The dolphin was found a week earlier, and during the necropsy a two-foot plastic shower hose was discovered inside the animal.

“Your actions can make a difference – secure and properly dispose of trash, take part in coastal cleanups and share information on how to reduce marine debris with others,” the FWC posted on Facebook.

The FWC will have samples collected from the dolphin analyzed to determine the exact cause of death.

This is the second stranded dolphin to be found in the area with a belly full of garbage in a month. On April 23, a baby female rough-toothed dolphin had a piece of a balloon and two plastic bags in its stomach. The dolphin was found emaciated and in poor health, and biologists decided to “humanely euthanize” it.

On the same day the FWC announced the dolphin death, in Italy, a young sperm whale was found dead with several kilograms of plastic in its stomach.

In an effort to curb environmental damage from throw-away plastics, many businesses and several states are taking action. Hawaii was the first state in the United States to ban plastic bags in all counties in 2015. California and New York have also implemented a statewide ban on plastic bags. The ban in New York will go into effect next March.

The plastic ban is taking place globally as well. This week it was announced that plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds will be banned in England from April 2020.