do we want all our marine life to look like this?

Fishing gear and an engine cover are just some of the startling contents found inside the stomachs of sperm whales that recently beached themselves on Germany’s North Sea coast.The 13 sperm whales washed up near the German state of Schleswig-Holstein in early last year, the latest in a series of whales stranded around the North Sea. So far, more than 30 sperm whales have been found beached since the start of the year in the U.K., the Netherlands, France, Denmark, and Germany.

According to a press release from Wadden Sea National Park in Schleswig-Holstein, the garbage from the most recent beachings included a nearly 13 metre long shrimp fishing net, a plastic car engine cover, and the remains of a plastic bucket.