The Silent Catastrophe in the Arctic

Researchers are shocked by how frequently deadly incidents are being found on Svalbard, in which local Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) have died after becoming entangled in marine plastic debris — mainly fishing nets and ropes washed ashore. On average, one dead reindeer is found for every 3.5 kilometers of coastline — and Svalbard’s coastline stretches for thousands of kilometers. This is the first time that deaths of Svalbard reindeer caused by marine debris have been systematically documented, rather than…