A Preliminary Report of Plastic Ingestion by Hawksbill and Green Turtles in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Plastic production has increased over the past decades, causing more plastic pollution to enter marine ecosystems. Because plastics persist in the environment for hundreds of years, they have become a threat to many living organisms. Animals may mistake plastic debris for food, which can cause illness or mortality. In this study, we analyzed the gastrointestinal tracts of ten sea turtles to assess the prevalence of plastic ingestion in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. Plastics > 1 mm were collected and categorized into plastic type and color. This was the first report of plastic ingestion by turtles in the Red Sea. It is important to have baseline data on plastic ingestion because the human population surrounding the Red Sea is expected to increase within the coming decades. With more people residing in coastal areas, there may be an increased amount of plastic debris entering the ocean. This study found that 40% of the turtles had ingested plastics, meaning that plastic is currently a threat to turtles in the region, and conservation efforts should be implemented to remove plastics from the sea and to prevent plastic pollution from entering the environment. ABSTRACT: (1) Background: Plastic pollution is a major environmental concern confronting marine animals. Sea turtles are considered a bio-indicator of plastic pollution, but there is little information regarding plastic ingestion by turtles in the Red Sea. With large-scale development projects being built along the Saudi Arabian coast, it is important to have a baseline for plastic ingestion before construction is complete. (2) Methods: Ten deceased sea turtles (four hawksbill and six green turtles) were collected along the Saudi Arabian coastline. Necropsies were conducted, and the entire gastrointestinal tracts were extracted and the contents were passed through a 1 mm mesh sieve. (3) Results: We found that 40% of the turtles in this study had ingested plastics. Thread-like plastics were the most common plastic category, and multi-colored was the most prevalent color category. (4) Conclusions: Monitoring of the plastic ingestion by marine megafauna should be conducted as a long-term assessment of the developments’ impacts. Additionally, conservation efforts should be focused on removing plastics (namely ghost nests and fishing lines) from the reefs and reducing the amount of plastic entering the sea.