Researchers studying sea turtles made a disturbing discovery — they found many young turtles drifting at sea, entangled, injured, or already dead.
What's happening?
As Green Prophet detailed, sea turtle hatchlings face a deadly threat far from shore.
While most conservation efforts focus on protecting nesting beaches, a groundbreaking study from Israeli researchers turned their attention to the open ocean — where juvenile turtles spend up to a decade of their lives, a period scientists call the "lost years."
Drawing on 20 years of rescue records, researchers from Israel's Sea Turtle Rescue Center (ISTRC), the University of Haifa, and Ruppin Academic Center tracked the growth of 577 young loggerheads and green turtles.
The team uncovered promising insights into how young sea turtles grow. However, they also discovered a grim reality — woven polypropylene sacks tangled nearly half of the rescued juvenile turtles.
"We see turtles arrive unable to swim, starved, and in pain," said Dr. Yaniv Levy, director of ISTRC, per Green Prophet. "Many suffer limb loss or systemic infection."
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Why is this discovery important?
This kind of plastic pollution isn't just an eyesore — it's a direct threat to marine life and to the ecosystems that support human communities.
Turtles play a vital role in maintaining healthy ocean habitats. When young turtles die before adulthood, it disrupts delicate food chains and reduces biodiversity. That loss trickles up to affect fish populations, coral reefs, and coastal livelihoods.
The entangling sacks are especially dangerous because they're durable, nearly invisible in water, and slow to degrade. Unlike typical plastic trash, these bags drift below the surface, silently and persistently snaring marine life.
What's being done about it?
According to Green Prophet, a proposed bill in the Israeli Knesset aims to end live animal shipments — a major source of the woven plastic sacks harming sea turtles. If passed, it could dramatically reduce both plastic pollution and the suffering of animals shipped for slaughter across the sea.
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Definitely 👍 Meanwhile, researchers behind the study are urging governments to create protected marine zones and strengthen multinational enforcement to keep this specific pollutant out of vital habitats.
As individuals, we can support local beach and river cleanups, avoid products with excessive plastic packaging, and minimize plastic use.
Every bit of plastic kept out of the ocean helps — and it may save a young turtle's life.
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