Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles

The Impact of "Small Garbage" on the Marine Environment

For many years, MEDASSET has witnessed with alarm the instinctive gestures of beach visitors discarding small (and large) articles of garbage on turtle nesting sites and other beaches. Are these visitors aware of the impact this action has, not only on the environment but also on marine species?

In the Mediterranean, the shores are shared between people and many marine creatures. At one time clean and free of pollutants and tourism, there is now a steadily increasing coastline population of over 300 million and a huge tourist industry. Garbage is a major threat to this fragile ecosystem, not least because the waters of this beautiful, enclosed sea are only renewed after more than 100 years.

The once diverse ecosystem is rapidly declining as the waters and shoreline become increasingly polluted. To ensure our future enjoyment of this historically and ecologically important area, and the continued survival of its wildlife, the impact of this pollution must be faced and reversed.

Every year millions of marine animals die worldwide due to many types of pollution. But it is the small personal pieces of garbage, casually discarded on the beach, which are often the most damaging. One of the most common and destructive substances is plastic.

Due to its strength, versatility, germ resistance and low cost, plastic packaging is used in a wide range of products. But its low cost of production takes no account of the high cost of its catastrophic impact on the environment. Common plastics take some 450 years to degrade, thus persisting as a threat for a long time.

Plastics constitute some 75% of all "recreational" waste found on beaches. All of it is harmful. Plastic bottle caps, drinking straws, string and sealing tabs are all swallowed by sea turtles, along with plastic pens and beakers that break into small harmful pieces and have been found in large quantities, accumulated in the animals’ stomachs. Plastic six-pack loops that hold containers together can appeal to young playful animals such as seals and otters. However, these games may result in the entrapment and strangulation of the animals.

Many plastics contain harmful compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which, once ingested, can damage reproduction and the animals’ ability to resist disease. These substances remain in the body so that when the animal is eaten, they are passed on,  Predatory animals such as seals and dolphins are affected the most.

In addition to these plastics, there are even smaller items which cause equal amounts of damage. Plastic and foil sweet wrappers, amongst others items, can be consumed when mistaken for small fish or crustaceans. The garbage accumulates in the animal’s gut and, although the animal feels full, in reality it is dying of starvation.

Cigarette packets are a particular hazard. There is the plastic pull strip and wrapper which looks like a small jellyfish once blown into the water. The foil "freshness" wrapper which resembles a fish, and the empty carton itself are additional sources of pollution. Once the cigarette has been smoked, a concentrated accumulation of harmful substances is left in the discarded filter stub on the beach. These unattractive butts appear by the thousands on beaches around the Mediterranean, with unknown consequences to marine life.

All of these items represent merely a fraction of what is dumped without thought by beach users. In addition to all of the above, many more items are washed up on the beaches through illegal dumping at sea by fishing fleets, cruise liners and the Navy.

Obviously, little can be done about the past.  But there is now an opportunity for all of us to radically reappraise our garbage problem. Even small changes in our attitudes and habits can improve our environment for present and future generations.

For example:

1. Take a bag (preferably a recycled or biodegradable one) with you to the beach to collect your rubbish in, and then take it home to dispose of.
2. When at home, try to recycle individual items such as aluminum cans, paper, plastic bags etc.
3. All plastic hoops should be cut before disposal so that entanglement with wildlife is avoided.
4. Aid beach cleaning operations whenever possible.
5. Support conservation bodies who, with your aid, can actively protect our wildlife and nature.
6. Let your voice be heard, whenever possible, when environmental issues are raised locally or nationally.
7. Use alternative eco-friendly products where they exist.

ABOVE ALL ELSE, THINK ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR WASTE.  IF YOU DON’T, THERE IS AN INNOCENT VICTIM WAITING FOR A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH.

Clips

Amazingly, green turtles successfully navigate between their feeding grounds off the Brazil coast and nesting beaches on Ascension Island, a tiny speck in the ocean over 2,000 kilometers away. Based on experiments with magnets and hatchlings, it had been assumed that the earth’s magnetic field was one of the most important factors in navigation. Now, however, results from experiments fitting satellite transmitters and devices to disrupt the magnetic field to seven turtles returning from nesting on Ascension Island show that the turtles' course to the Brazilian coast was very similar to a control group without the magnetic disrupters. It looks as if it is back to the drawing board! ("Open Sea Migration of Magnetically Disturbed Sea Turtles," 2000, Papi et al.)

A statement to the press by Professor Pandis, chairman of the management body set up to run the new Zakynthos National Marine Park in Greece, contained the immortal words: "Although the activities are illegal, we cannot stop them because we cannot give them anything in exchange."  Plus ca change! 

In Egypt, in an area where slim women are considered unattractive, some women believe that drinking turtle blood will make them gain weight.

Breaking News!

On the morning of March 6, 2001, the eve of a nine-day national holiday with all official offices closed, the staff at the Soda Chrome Factory, which adjoins the turtle nesting beach at the Turkish holiday resort of Kazanli, bulldozed the containing wall of a waste sump and released the contents into the sea. The entire sea in front of Kazanli subsequently took a red colour. The town Mayor is in despair at this environmental crime that also threatens to close the town to the tourist trade.

March 2001

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