http://blog.oceanconservancy.org/2014/03/19/helping-sea-turtles-never-see-marine-debris/

Helping Sea Turtles Never See Marine Debris

Posted On March 19, 2014 by Allison Schutes

Let’s face it, sea turtles could use a helping hand.. Did you know that
most species of sea turtles are listed as Endangered or Critically
Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)?
Marine debris is a major threat to sea turtle’s survival. Mistaking
trash for food, sea turtles are known to eat plastics and other buoyant
debris. Trash can also hinder sea turtles ability to swim, and they’re
prone to getting entangled in abandoned lines and netting.[1]

Young sea turtles are especially vulnerable to marine debris. The turtle
hatchlings quickly drift in the open sea where they mistake lines of
floating debris for seaweed.[2]

Unfortunately, cleaning up debris throughout the entire ocean is an
impractical task—there’s just too much of it! But, don’t despair; we
have had success removing ocean debris on our beaches, where the sea
turtles hatch from their eggs before crawling across the sand to the sea.