RESUMEN
Pollution of the marine environment by plastic marine debris has become one of the most pervasive threats impacting marine environments. In this study, for the first time, we evaluate the polymer types of the plastic marine debris ingested by 49 green and 14 loggerhead sea turtle strandings in the Gulf of Oman. Plastic marine debris was ingested by 73.5% of green and 42.9% of loggerhead sea turtles in this study. Overall, evidence suggested that green sea turtles from the Gulf of Oman coast of the United Arab Emirates ingested high levels of plastic marine debris, predominantly Polypropylene (PP) & Polyethylene (PE), followed by Nylon, PP-PE mixture, Polystyrene (PS), Poly vinyl chloride (PVC) and Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), respectively. Loggerhead sea turtles also ingested high levels of plastic marine debris, which also predominantly consisted of PP & PE, followed by PP-PE mixture, Nylon and PS. While recent studies were directed into polymer characterization of micro-plastics in aquatic life, our study focuses on macro-plastics which impose significantly greater risks.
Asunto(s)
Tortugas , Contaminantes del Agua , Animales , Ingestión de Alimentos , Nylons , Omán , Plásticos , Polietileno , Polímeros , Polipropilenos , Poliestirenos , Contaminantes del Agua/análisisRESUMEN
For the first time, the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of marine debris ingested by six hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and seven olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) sea turtles from the Gulf of Oman coast of the United Arab Emirates were investigated. The numeric and gravimetric proportions of ingested marine debris obtained from the esophagus, stomach and intestines were quantified following categories of presumed sources, Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), rigidity, color and plastic polymer types. Marine debris was observed in 28.6% of olive ridley (xÌ : 2.00 items; 4.83 g) and 83.3% of hawksbill specimens (xÌ : 6.00 ± 2.32 items; 0.32 ± 0.24 g). Overall, the results of this preliminary study suggest that hawksbill sea turtles were ingesting marine debris at higher frequencies and that plastics were observed to be the most predominant debris ingested. However, non-plastic rubbish, particularly metallic fishing gear (fish hooks and fish traps), were observed to present lethal hazards for both species.