Marine Wildlife

Sea Turtles and Plastic Pollution: Welfare Emergency

Sea turtles are among the marine animals most severely affected by plastic pollution, ingesting bags mistaken for jellyfish and becoming entangled in discarded fishing gear, causing preventable suffering and death.

Key Facts

100% of sea turtles tested in recent studies had plastic particles in their tissues
Plastic bag ingestion causes digestive blockage, buoyancy problems, and starvation
Green turtles that ingest plastic show reduced body condition and elevated stress hormones
Entanglement in abandoned fishing gear is a leading cause of sea turtle injury and death
Fibropapillomatosis, a tumor disease linked to pollution, has increased dramatically in recent decades

Welfare Considerations

Individual sea turtles with plastic ingestion experience progressive physiological deterioration including digestive blockage, malnutrition from false satiety, and in severe cases, intestinal perforation. Entangled turtles may struggle for days or weeks before being found, dying, or freeing themselves. The welfare harm of plastic pollution for sea turtles is severe, widespread, and directly reducible through reduced plastic production and improved waste management.

What You Can Do

Eliminate single-use plastic bag use to reduce ocean plastic loading
Participate in coastal and underwater clean-up programs
Report entangled turtles to local wildlife rescue organizations immediately
Support extended producer responsibility legislation for plastic products
Donate to sea turtle rehabilitation programs and plastic pollution advocacy organizations