Editorial | Whales pay dearly for our irresponsibility

The rare sighting of a whale in Hong Kong waters invariably sparks great excitement, so much so the animal may feel disturbed and eventually die one way or another. The 8.2-metre Bryde’s whale found dead with wounds caused by propellers after frolicking in Sai Kung waters for two weeks last year is a case in point. The beaked whale found in Tai O on Saturday night did not trigger any whale-watching rush because it died hours after being stranded in the shallows. But the cause of its death is still regrettably linked to human activity.

The six-metre marine mammal was said to be in a vulnerable condition when it was sighted in the fishing village on Lantau Island. A necropsy found a synthetic bag measuring 88cm by 52cm in its body, but there was little food in its stomach. While there were no signs of any wounds made by ships or propellers, the species live in deeper waters and simply cannot survive here, experts say.

Indeed, marine species found dead with their stomachs full of plastic waste are becoming increasingly common. In February last year, a 17-metre sperm whale washed ashore in Hawaii and was found to have swallowed plastic bags, fishing nets and other marine debris.

Similarly, another sperm whale that became stranded and later died on a beach in Scotland in 2019 had 100kg of plastic in its stomach, including nets, bags, gloves, packing straps and tubing.

Littering in the vast ocean may give the wrong impression that its impact is negligible. But what humans discard may be mistaken as food by marine creatures, which can then end up in our food chain. According to WWF Hong Kong, at least 11 million tonnes of plastic enter the world’s oceans every year, equivalent to the contents of one garbage truck being dumped into the sea every minute.

The impact is often far greater than expected as these toxic and often non-biodegradable materials may reach all corners of the planet through wind and ocean currents.