This archive report was first published on 12 July 2020.
Published on July 12, 2020, a devastating scene unfolded on the 120-kilometre beach along the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh. Locals reported waves of waste, mostly plastic bottles, fishing nets, and buoys, floating ashore late Saturday.
Early Sunday, residents spotted turtle carcasses among the sand dunes, prompting a frantic rescue effort. According to Bangladesh's forestry department, this was the first time such a large volume of plastic had washed onto the beach.
"Hundreds of locals rushed to the beach since early morning to rescue the wounded turtles," said Sohail Hossain, a forestry department spokesman. "We have buried the dead ones and are trying to release the rescued turtles back to sea."
"Hundreds of locals rushed to the beach since early morning to rescue the wounded turtles," said Sohail Hossain, a forestry department spokesman. "We have buried the dead ones and are trying to release the rescued turtles back to sea." — Sohail Hossain, Forestry Department Spokesman
Beach clean-up charity Plastic Bank Bangladesh reported that their volunteers found and buried at least 20 Olive Ridley turtles among the estimated 50 tonnes of waste spread out over a 10 kilometre stretch of the beach at Cox's Bazar.
"I haven't seen these many dead turtles lying on the beach in my life and also haven't seen such a massive pile of waste floating ashore," said fisherman Jashim Uddin. "The turtles often get trapped in gigantic waste patches floating in the sea and eventually die of suffocation. This seems to be a similar case," said Shahriar Caesar Rahman, a leading Bangladesh turtle and tortoise expert.
According to Moazzem Hossain of local conservation charity Save the Nature Bangladesh, about 26 tonnes of waste produced from ships and neighbouring countries float into Bay of Bengal every year. "This is a unique case of plastic invasion. It sends a great danger signal to our marine biodiversity," he said.
Local district administrator Kamal Hossain stated that authorities were investigating the incident. Olive Ridleys are the most abundant of all sea turtles around the world, but their numbers have been declining and the species is recognised as vulnerable by the IUCN Red list.
