Seventy five to one hundred sea turtles a year are rescued on South Padre Island in the winter months after having a run in with some of the plastics that end up in the ocean around us. Sea turtles are unable to tell the difference between plastic bags and jelly fish, which is a part of their daily diet. Turtles are also affected by left over fishing equipment left behind in the areas they swim. Often fishing line or left behind fishing nets trap the turtles and cause the turtles harm by trapping them and not allowing them to be able to swim freely to catch food. The type of plastic that is most harmful to animals in the ocean depends on the animal. For small organisms such as zooplankton and hermit crabs it would be tiny plastic particles called "micro plastics." But they originate from larger plastic that has broken down over the years as well as micro-beads from cosmetic products (face wash, hand wash etc). Single-use plastics such as plastic utensils, cups/plates etc are the main plastic items that enter the water in large amounts. For larger organisms such as dolphins, turtles, large fish, old fishing gear is probably the most harmful. Old fishing line and nets continue to catch animals long after they are abandoned (whether on purpose or by accident). Many marine stranding’s are due to animals that have been entangled in old fishing gear. This is called ghost fishing: when animals are entangled in abandoned fishing gear.
The people at Sea Turtle Inc. out on South Padre Island rescue and rehabilitate these wonderful animals by giving them the medical treatment that they need to survive after a run in with the plastics in their habitats.