Pollution is one of the main problems of the ocean today. Pollution includes all kinds of things that are found in the ocean such as lighters, petroleum products, trash, plastic bags, discarded ghost and fishing nets, soda rings, and other kinds of trash dumped by human beings.

Pollution affects a lot of sea creatures in the ocean. Turtles and fishes get plastic bags in their stomachs (by eating them by mistake) which causes them to starve to death. Red footed boobies are endangered because of pollution. The red footed boobie, a bird common to the coastal shores of Hawaii, just scoops the surface of the ocean unaware of what they are picking up. Scientists have found combs, brushes, lighters, and other kinds of things in their stomachs. Animals do not know any better. If they see something clear, they are going to pick it up. For example, red footed boobies like to eat jellyfish and squid so the red footed boobies think that the food that they are catching in the ocean are squids or jellyfish.

Oil spills are the most dangerous to the ocean and the air because of the fumes that oil contains. When oil is spilt, the sea turtles and any other sea creatures breathe in the oil's toxic fumes and it goes into their system. Some sea turtles have tumors on their bodies. Scientists think it's because of the air that they breathe. Oil spills happen once in a while because the drivers of ships and boats don't drive carefully, or other people don't care.

When the Tesoro gas company spilt oil not too long ago, around December, the oil killed over 14 sea birds and about 19 gulls that were nearby. When they checked their stomachs, they found many soda rings and plastic bags. One sea gull had 4 soda rings and 2 and a half trash bags in its stomach.