The whale, which washed up on the Hawaiian coast, likely died from eating large quantities of fish traps, fishing nets, plastic bags, and other waste that was thrown into the sea.
The death of the whale highlights the threat to marine life as a result of the millions of tons of plastic that are dumped into the oceans every year.
The carcass of the whale was first seen on the coral reefs off the island of Hawaii.
Experts say they found many foreign objects in the whale’s intestines that prevented it from eating, noting that it was the first known case of a sperm whale in Hawaiian waters swallowing discarded fishing gear.
