Young turtles more likely to die to eat plastic in the ocean

According to a new study that analyzed dead sea turtles on the beaches of Queensland, Australia, young turtles are more likely to die from the plastic pollution of the ocean.
Plastic pollution is one of the most critical environmental issues of today. The problem has endangered many animals, including turtles that can confuse plastic with food.

Plastic pollution worse for young turtles

According to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, marine turtles, especially young people, may die by ingesting plastic debris that pollutes the oceans.
As part of the research, scientists analyzed autopsies of 246 sea turtles stranded on the beaches of Queensland. They discovered that 58 turtles had ingested plastic, ranging from one piece to a mass of 329 pieces, probably contributing to their death. The others died because of natural causes, such as collision with boats.
However, of the 58 turtles that ate plastic, only four were adults or close adults. Most turtles, 41 of which were young specimens. The very young "post-hatchling" turtles appeared to be at even greater risk of eating plastic, as 24 of the 246 marine turtles had consumed plastic.
An explanation for the higher risk of eating plastic in young turtles is that they swim closer to the surface, where the plastic floats.
According to the study leader, Britta Denise Hardesty, who is also a member of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Hobart, Australia, young turtles are less selective about what they eat. plastic pollution problems. . Hardesty added that plastic can look like jellyfish, squid, crustaceans or sponges, which are young turtles.
Further analysis confirmed that the more a turtle eats plastic, the higher the risk of death. For young turtles, even eating a single piece of plastic increases the risk of death by 22%.

Cleaning the plastic pollution in the ocean

The authors of the study wish to educate consumers and political leaders about the threat posed by plastic pollution to wildlife and insist on creative, effective and immediate solutions.
There have been major initiatives against plastic pollution, such as Seattle's ban on straws and plastic utensils. However, with plastic pollution already reaching Antarctica, a global effort is needed to solve the problem, which we hope will come before it is too late.