February 23, 2017
Atlantic City became the latest Jersey Shore town to make it illegal to release helium-filled balloons into the atmosphere for the purpose of protecting sea life.
City Council on Wednesday passed an ordinance banning the practice, which is already illegal in the neighboring shore towns of Ventnor, Margate and Longport, The Press of Atlantic City reports.
According to The Press, individuals or groups caught sending balloons up into the sky can be slapped with a fine of up to $500.
As Carol Jones, a member of the environmental group the Surfrider Foundation, explained in an interview with The Press, when balloons are ingested by animals, those animals can’t digest them, and often, the balloons will block actual food from entering the stomach, causing the animals to starve to death.
Read the full Press of Atlantic City report here.
