Ten of thousands of sea turtles, whales, and other marine mammals, and seabirds die each year from ocean pollution and ingestion or entanglement in marine debris. Marine debris is manmade waste that is directly or indirectly disposed of in oceans, rivers, and other waterways. Most trash reaches the seas via rivers, and 80% originates from landfills and other urban sources. This waste, which is also consumed by fish and can entangle sharks and damage coral reefs, tends to accumulate in gyres (areas of slow spiraling water and low winds) and along coastlines.
In the Preliminary studies led by Dr. Kathy Townsend from The University of Queensland indicate that more than 35% of the sea turtles she has studied in Australia died from eating trash.
Sea turtles and other marine creatures mistake plastics and other garbage as food (such as jellyfish) and ingest it. This mistake causes blockages within their digestive system and eventual death.
From leatherbacks to loggerheads, six of the seven species of sea turtles that swim the world’s oceans are threatened or endangered.