Beach Finds 2

Mom and I walk on the beach early most mornings while we are here. We enjoy the beautiful sunrises

Watch the shore birds begin their day

The pelicans fly up the beach every morning.

Every now and then find some fun sand sculptures

And look for sea shells

But yesterday morning we found all of the above and more. There weren’t many shells, and there was more trash than normal, so we started picking it up which we do often. By the time we were done walking, we had picked up 6 grocery bags full of trash. Some of it was from the beach goers that were here this week, other things came in from who knows where.

It’s always interesting to see what we find. We have found shotgun shells, syringes, balloons, hardhats, shoes, large tubs, and anything else you can think of. We found a pair of men’s underwear, a glass jar filled with shrimp, and a big rope (that I called Al to come get) this morning. We found buoys and a condom the other morning.  Last year I found a quart jar filled with white rice that had washed up.

But the thing I hate to see most are the pieces of plastic washed up on the beach that the sea turtles have tried to eat.  The Texas Gulf Coast is home to many types of sea turtles. You can see them swimming along the jettys and canal, and occasionally they are washed up dead or sick on the beach, or can be seen nesting on the sand starting in April.  Several organizations that protect the sea turtles encourage everyone to call if they see one on the beach. 

From what I have read, the reason they try to eat it is because they mistake the floating plastic for jellyfish, which some sea turtles eat. This can often lead to death for the sea turtle.  For more information see this site: www.seaturtles.org

It is very evident when you see the bite marks on everything

They are the diamond shaped holes. Almost any piece of plastic that we pick up has the same holes in it.

One website I found said that as many as 1/3 of dead turtles found washed up on shore had ingested plastic. Many communities have started banning plastic bags for grocery stores which is at least a step in the right direction not just for the turtles, but for everyone’s benefit. I have many re-usable shopping bags that I keep in my purse and use them as much as possible. (in case you are interested I found some great ones at www.baggu.com!)

I’m sure tomorrow when we go out again, we will find even more trash and more plastic with turtle bites.

Pick up your trash people!