Happy World Turtle Day? see a turtle, share a turtle

When you go to grab a straw at a restaurant, or a plastic bag at the grocery store, do you ever ask yourself, “where will this end up?” Unfortunately, a lot of our trash ends up in the ocean. It has been estimated that as much as 12.7 million metric tonnes of plastic can enter the ocean every year (Jambeck et al. 2015). Macroplastics are frequently ingested by many marine organisms; Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in particular tend to eat lots of macroplastics, with as much as 60% of the stomach content containing plastic (Di Beneditto et al. 2014). Not all of it is large, however. Throughout the surface of the world’s oceans there is also an abundance of microplastics, or small particulate pieces which are commonly ingested by pelagic animals including marine mammals such as whales (Doyle et al. 2011). And did you know that under federal law it is LEGAL to dump trash into the ocean, as long as it is not within three miles of shore (BoatU.S. Foundation)? It is up to us, the people, to make a change for the better. You can do your part by avoiding single use plastics including straws, plastic bags, bottles, and be an overall conscious consumer! You can also help out at local community events like beach clean-ups!

How beautiful is this Green Sea Turtle?!

There are 7 different species of sea turtles (the one here is a Hawaiian green sea turtle) & nearly all of them are listed under the Endangered Species list. The threats that face them include, but are not limited to, being caught as bycatch from industrial fisheries, marine debris entanglement, plastic ingestion, ocean acidification, and climate change. Please help save sea turtles by making a difference today i.e. reducing as much plastic as you can, eating sustainably, and purchasing with greater consideration for the planet we all need to survive.