Plastic pollution from discarded fishing gear in the Ganges River poses a threat to wildlife such as the critically endangered three-striped roofed turtle and the endangered Ganges river dolphin, according to researchers including those from the Wildlife Institute of India.
In the study, published in the journal Science of The Total Environment, surveys of the river and local fishermen found that there is no system for fishers to recycle their nets. Most fishers say they mend and repurpose nets if they can, but if they can't do that the nets are often discarded in the river.