Nearly 1,800 balloons were picked up on beaches at Cape Hatteras National Seashore last year, and park officials are urging people to celebrate events or remember loved ones in ways that are better for the environment.
Park Biologists say the problem seems to be increasing – there were 733 balloons collected the year before.
Balloons can impact sea life because they break down into small pieces of brightly colored plastic that look like food and are often eaten by wildlife.
N.C. State University Center For Marine Sciences And Technology
In November, a live Gervais' Beaked Whale died in Emerald Isle and a necropsy found the female calf died from eating a plastic or mylar balloon.