Five of the seven extant sea turtle species in the world forage on the coast of Southern Brazil at least in some stage of their life cycle. The green turtle Chelonia mydas frequently strands on beaches of Rio Grande do Sul State. The species is currently classified as vulnerable to extinction in the region, and pollution by marine debris is one of the most conspicuous threats to its conservation. In this study, we quantified and characterized plastic ingestion by juvenile green turtles in waters off the southern Brazilian coast between 2013 and 2016. We analysed the gastrointestinal content of 17 beached carcasses and registered debris ingestion in 15 individuals (88%). On average, each green turtle ingested 38.4 ± 88.5 plastic fragments. White and transparent plastic bags and plastic sheets were predominant. Our results indicate a high interaction between juvenile green turtles and marine debris off the coast of Southern Brazil.

世界上现存的七个海龟物种中的五个至少在其生命周期的某个阶段在巴西南部海岸觅食。绿海龟Chelonia mydas经常在南里奥格兰德州的海滩上闲逛。该物种目前被列为该区域的物种易灭绝物种，海洋垃圾污染是对其保护的最明显威胁之一。在这项研究中，我们量化并定性了2013年至2016年之间巴西南部沿海水域中少年绿海龟的塑料摄入。我们分析了17具滩涂尸体的胃肠道含量，并记录了15个人（88％）的碎片摄入。平均而言，每只绿海龟摄入38.4±88.5个塑料碎片。白色和透明的塑料袋和塑料片占主导地位。我们的研究结果表明，巴西南部沿海地区的少年绿海龟与海洋垃圾之间存在高度的相互作用。