Plastic, warm seas and propellers - the Cornwall turtle is a modern parable

The leatherback beached on Sunday has revealed the multiple ways mankind threatens marine life. It is a sad tale of our mindless economic progressIt's a beachcomber's nightmare: an enormous leatherback turtle slumped on a Cornish strand. The 1.8-metre-long animal, discovered on Sunday at Marazion beach, has since been necropsied (an animal autopsy) by researchers from the University of Exeter, who found plastic in its stomach. Leatherbacks, like other endangered marine turtles, rely largely on jellyfish for food, and a billowing bag in the water can look very similar. The university reports that it has found plastic in "almost all" of the turtles it has examined. It estimates that 1,000 turtles die each year as a result.But this casualty died after a collision with a boat. Prof Brendan Godley, one of the scientists leading the investigation, noted: "Prior to her death she was in good condition and had eaten relatively soon before dying. She showed no obvious entanglement injuries but had deep cuts across her shell that are consistent with propeller wounds." Continue reading...