How Plastics Effects Turtles

Turtles are one of the creatures that we often see being harmed by plastic waste. But how dose plastic waste actually affect turtles? Well a number of ways. Plastic can hurt turtles when they become tangled in nets or caught up in plastic bags and drown. This is a massive problem with sea turtles as they still need to come to the surface to breath. Plastic waste can harm turtle populations in this way. However, getting caught in nets is not the most damaging affect that plastic can have of turtles. 

Aside from the above, plastic bags have been damaging sea turtle populations all over the world for decades. Sea turtles love to munch on jelly fish and underwater a plastic bag floating in the sea can easily look like a delicious snack. Plastic bags and other debris can't easily be passed so it can build up in their stomach and gut till they die. It can also be a problem for turtles as plastic floats and consuming plastic can therefore trap turtles floating on the sea surface.

In terms of micro-plastics, the increased level of plastic on beaches can actually affect sea turtle nests. Plastic retains heat and can mean the nests that are hidden in areas with large amounts of plastic can be hotter than they would normally. The heat of the nest can determine the sex of the turtles which long term can further damage turtle populations.

There are now many efforts underway to help clean our oceans and help conserve turtle populations. This however, is still a big problem even here in the UK. Are beaches especially the prettier ones are filled with litter including large amounts of plastic waste. We too have sea turtles off our shores, even though they may be hard to spot. Sea turtles don't just live in warm waters and often venture further north in search of food. This is one of the reasons it is important to keep our beaches here in the UK clean.

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