One-Third of Sea Turtles Have Plastic in their Digestive Systems

You’ve probably already seen this photo of a turtle chewing on a plastic bag – it’s included in just about every article on the ‘net about plastic pollution. It’s a heartbreaking reminder of how ubiquitous plastic is in our oceans, and how many sea creatures are being affected by its presence. The plastic bag industry has fought back against what they deem misinformation, even going so far as to claim that this photo is ‘trick photography’.

But now, scientists have proven that sea turtles are indeed ingesting plastic. Necropsy reports on leatherback turtles found that 1/3rd of them had plastic in their digestive systems.

From MSNBC:

Besides plastic bags, the turtles had swallowed fishing lines, balloon fragments, spoons, candy wrappers and more.

Plastic was probably not the cause of death in most cases. Nevertheless, the study is an important wake-up call for a growing garbage problem.

“Eating something that is plastic can’t be good for you, whether it leads to death or not,” said Mike James, a marine biologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. “It’s not what they should be eating. And it’s kind of scary that it is showing up in their diet to the extent that it is.”

But the numbers are alarming. Plastic can block a turtle’s gut, causing bloating, interfering with digestion, and leading to a slow, painful death. “I can’t imagine it’s very comfortable,” he said. “Their guts weren’t designed to digest plastic.”

The problem is, floating plastic bags look an awful lot like jellyfish, which are these turtles’ main source of sustenance – and there are so many plastic bags in the ocean. Since leatherback turtles travel so far and wide, they have more opportunity to come across them.

The only thing we can do is reduce our use of plastic as much as possible. If you want some tips for cutting back on plastic, check out EarthFirst’s “Resolve to Use Less Plastic in 2009 – Here’s How”.

Link [MSNBC]

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