According to a new study released by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, the more turtles ingest plastics, the higher the risk of death, and marine plastic pollution is threatening the survival of turtles.
Previous studies have found that seven species of sea turtles in the world have swallowed plastics. It is estimated that 52% of the world's turtles have swallowed plastic. But scientists are still not clear whether the swallowing of plastic is the main cause of sea turtle death.
Researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Institute of Australia dissected 1,000 dead sea turtles that had been washed onto Australian beaches and quantified the relationship between turtle death and swallowing plastics. The results showed that once the turtles swallowed 14 plastics, they died. The risk can reach 50%.
The researchers say that this does not mean that turtles will not die if they eat less than 14 pieces of plastic. In the study, some dead turtles only swallowed a piece of plastic, one of which died in the intestines and was pierced by hard plastic. The other died of swallowing soft plastics leading to intestinal obstruction.
Chris Wilcox, chief scientist of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, said: 'We found that when turtles eat the first piece of plastic, the risk of death can reach 22%. As they eat more plastic, The risk of death has also increased. '
The researchers found that some turtles swallowed hundreds of pieces of plastic, and found in the stomach of the turtles, such as film, rope, fishing line, stickers, soft plastics and other debris.
'Every year, millions of tons of plastic debris flow into the ocean,' Wilcox said. 'This study helps us understand how plastic pollution affects marine species so that we can better develop solutions.'
Related research has been published in the new issue of the British "Nature" magazine "Science Report".