A study released on Monday by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency, has shown that three-quarters of Australian coastlines' rubbish is plastic from local urban cities, which is threatening marine animals.

According to CSIRO, about three-quarter of the rubbish found off Australian beaches is plastic. The agency has said that the rubbish is being swallowed by wildlife.

Researchers of the study have analyzed the coastline of Australia at intervals of about 62 miles. From there, they have gathered world's largest collection of marine debris data.

Scientist from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Denise Hardesty, said, "We found about three-quarters of the rubbish along the coast is plastic. Most is from Australian sources, not the high seas, with debris concentrated near cities".

According to the agency, debris that they have found at the coastline included cans, plastic bottles, metal, bags, rubber and fiber. Apart from that, researchers have found fishing gear discarded near the sea.

Agency's report said that this debris not only causes navigation hazard but also covers coral reefs and harms tourism. The rubbish has impacted wildlife through entanglement, but it has also impacted via chemicals that it introduces into marine ecosystems.

The report said that species of small turtle swallow the trash as soft plastic looks like natural prey jellyfish. According to the study, green turtles and oceanic leatherback turtles are at highest risk of both lethal and sub-lethal effects from debris.

After the study, researchers found that about 43% of seabirds had plastic in their gut. By 2050, plastic ingestion in seabirds could reach 95% of all species.

Entanglement is becoming the risk of death for whales, seabirds, turtles, fish, dugongs, dolphins, crocodiles, crabs and several other marine species, the study reported.

According to Hardesty, about one-third of sea turtles have likely swallowed debris, and it has increased since plastic production started in 1950s.