Sea creatures aren't the only things recorded by China's submersible...

China's unmanned submersible Qianlong 3 made its first dive into the sea recently, snapping photos at a depth of more than 3,900 meters.

However, in addition to beautiful deep-sea creatures such as fish, shrimp, starfish and trepangs, plastic waste was also snapped by the submersible’s camera.

“This waste poses a threat to the survival of sea creatures and sabotages the marine eco-system,” said Sun Dong, a senior expert responsible for section B of the sea trial of the Dayang Yihao, the carrier of the Qianlong 3.

According to Sun, such waste hardly degrades at all in this deep sea environment, as it lacks light and sufficient microorganism activity.

In addition, the survival of deep-sea creatures may be threatened after these life forms accidentally ingest the fractured plastic, Sun added.

Statistics indicate that over 8 million tons of plastic waste is being dumped into the sea every year, and accounts for 80% of the marine litter found today.

According to Sun, controlling the waste source from land is essential for marine litter management. In addition, staff on marine vessels must obey related rules and regulations, and take garbage back to the land for its correct disposal.