Dolphin in North Carolina dies after ingesting plastic bag

OUTER BANKS, N.C. - A dolphin in North Carolina appeared to have died after following a plastic bag, according to a team of marine researchers. 

What we know:

The Center for Marine Sciences and Technology said on March 25, a large bottlenose dolphin was found dead on the banks of Deep Creek in the Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve in Beaufort.

Researchers transported the dolphin to a local center to perform a necropsy.

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The necropsy revealed that the probable cause of death was a large plastic bag remnant with a knot in the center in the dolphin’s stomach. No food items were found in the stomach. 

What we don't know:

Researchers did not provide details on how the dolphin came in contact with the bag. 

What you can do:

CMAST is urging the public to be aware of how plastic bags can affect the environment. Researchers urge people to use non-plastic bags

Dig deeper:

Twelve states, including California, already have some type of statewide plastic bag ban in place, according to the environmental advocacy group Environment America Research & Policy Center. Hundreds of cities across 28 states also have their own plastic bag bans in place.

The world creates 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year and spreads it from the deepest oceans to the highest mountaintop to the inside of people’s bodies, according to a 2024 study by the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.