A Shark Suffering Wrapped Tightly in Plastic... "Sorry We Couldn't Help"

As the problem of marine debris becomes increasingly severe, a shark suffering from a plastic ring stuck around its body was recently spotted in the waters of Australia.

On the 4th (local time), Australian media outlet 7news reported that a grey shark injured by debris was seen off the mid-north coast of New South Wales (NSW). The first person to spot the shark was diver Amelie Schiff. Upon seeing the shark severely wounded by the ring, she said, "I was shocked" and "I felt really sad because there was nothing I could do to help."

In the footage taken by Schiff, the shark’s back shows a deep indentation caused by the ring. Additionally, its fin was caught in the ring, making swimming difficult. Schiff posted the video of the shark swimming on social media to raise awareness about the marine debris issue.

A shark suffering from a plastic ring stuck on its body. [Image source=Facebook]

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Schiff is currently the owner of a scuba diving center and is known to clean the ocean every month. She said that during the cleaning process, she can find 5 to 10 kilograms of debris. Schiff stated, "We often see fish, sharks, and turtles dying after ingesting plastic bags," and added, "We try to remove any visible debris whenever possible."

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates that 130,000 tons of plastic leak into the ocean from Australia every year. Netizens expressed various reactions such as, "Animals suffer because of human selfishness," "I pray the shark will be happy for a long time," and "The government needs to step in and solve the problem directly."

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