Marine debris found in 19 dead sea turtles

A dead loggerhead sea turtle is filled with a variety of plastic garbage in its stomach. / Korea Times file

By Kang Seung-woo

Nineteen sea turtles that lived offshore here and were found dead recently, had ingested nearly 300 pieces of plastic debris, according to a lawmaker, Monday, raising concerns over worsening plastic pollution in the ocean.

Citing information from the National Institute of Ecology and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, Rep. Jeong Woon-chun of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party said 294 pieces of ocean waste were found in 19 sea turtles of three species — three green sea turtles, 15 loggerhead sea turtles and one olive ridley sea turtle.

Fiber types of waste such as nets and ropes made up the majority of debris they had eaten at 119, followed by plastic bags at 98 and other plastic products at 21. There were also 56 kinds of polystyrene waste.

The results come as public attention regarding the protection of marine creatures from plastic pollution is growing after a video of a sea turtle in Costa Rica having a plastic straw removed from its nose went viral in 2015.

To reduce marine pollution, the government has unveiled a variety of measures, but critics say its plans are not comprehensive or enough.

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