30 plastic bags found in stomach of sick whale

Norwegian scientists have found 30 plastic bags in the stomach of a sick whale, newspaper Aftenposten reported Friday.

The whale had to be euthanized last weekend on the island of Sotra in western Norway, after being stuck several times in the shallow waters, the report said.

According to public broadcaster NRK, this is the first Cuvier's beaked whale, or the goose-beaked whale, that is documented in Norway.

"The stomach was completely filled up with plastic. There were around 30 plastic bags as well as some other plastic material. This is very sad," said Terje Lislevand, zoologist and associate professor at the University of Bergen.

"The findings are not surprising, but it is of course sad to discovered such large quantities," he said.

According to the newspaper, there's a plan to show both the skeleton of the whale and the plastic in a new exhibition, when the natural history section of the University Museum of Bergen opens its doors again in summer 2019.

Marine pollution is a growing problem and according to the UN environment program, there is more than eight million tons of plastic garbage in the oceans annually. Enditem