Keep Your Beach Clean

Please remember to keep your local beaches and waterways free of garbage that can make its way into the water! Plastic bags are a particular threat, since sea turtles can mistake them for jellyfish — one of their main prey sources — causing them to starve or die. Additionally, turtles can choke or become entangled in fishing gear like nets and hooks, as sadly pictured here.

This sea turtle has a fishing hook lodged in its esophagus, rescued by the Sea Turtle Hospital
in Topsail Island, North Carolina. (Photo: Oceana / Cory Wilson)