Plastic pollution kills over 500,000 Hermit crabs on Cocos and Henderson islands

Marine pollution has become a major concern for environmentalists all over the world. More than half a million hermit crabs have been killed after becoming trapped in plastic debris on two remote island groups, prompting concern that the deaths could be part of a global species decline.

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Scientists conducted surveys across a range of sites on Cocos Islands in the Indian ocean and Henderson island in the Pacific. According to the recent survey, more than 508,000 crabs were trapped in plastic debris in the Cocos islands, while 61,000 were found trapped in Henderson island in the Pacific. The recent survey has sent a wave of shock to conservationists and environmentalists all over the world. 

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The study was led by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of Tasmania. The study found that the percentage of hermit crabs is reducing at a rapid pace because of an increase in marine pollution on not just the two islands but also on islands across the globe. The study also suggested that the species might face extinction if the situation is not tackled in time. 

The deadly trap

As hermit crabs grow, they require larger shells and look for it on the beaches of these islands as they don't have a shell of their own. Dead crabs send out a chemical signal to other crabs of their species signaling of an available shell they can occupy. However, the dead crabs sending out the chemical signals are not in a shell but trapped in a plastic bottle, which leads to a possible bait for the other alive crabs that may fall into the deadly trap. 

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It's not just that, hermit crabs also find it physically difficult to navigate their way onto the beaches of these islands that are littered with plastic debris. Marine pollution has become a serious issue in the recent past. Earlier this week, a dead sperm whale was found on an island of Scotland with a 100 kg litter ball in its stomach filled with plastic debris, fishing nets, and other pollutants.

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