Plastic debris ingested by a rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis, stranded alive in northeastern Brazil

An adult male rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis, stranded alive on Poço da Draga Beach, Fortaleza, Ceará State, northeastern Brazil. The animal was unable to swim, was visibly emaciated, and died while being transported to the AQUASIS rehabilitation facilities. During the necropsy, two plastic bags and four pieces of sea sponges were found in the fore-stomach chamber, where the mucosa had several ulcers. The ingestion of plastic debris by dolphins is not well understood. They can eat it by mistake, since it resembles some of their prey species, or ingest it along with a prey. In Ceará State, the inappropriate disposal of solid wastes and urban effluents are major sources of pollution in the coastal zone. Urgent measures are required to minimize this threat to coastal marine mammals, such as legal mechanisms, enforcement and awareness campaigns.