"We face many complex challenges when it comes to keeping our oceans and beaches healthy and safe, but one of the major contributors to the problem is an abundance of plastic bags. It takes centuries for plastic bags to break down in a marine environment. Ocean animals like turtles and sea birds are injured or killed when they become helplessly entangled in plastic bags, or when they swallow these unfamiliar objects after mistaking them for a food source. The diverse wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico, for example, are finding life in the water more hazardous than ever because of plastic bags.
Sea turtles sometimes like to prey upon jellyfish. What does a plastic bag look like when it’s floating in water? You guessed it: a jellyfish. All seven species and one subspecies of sea turtles are all listed as endangered or threatened. Plastic bags may cause deadly entanglement by ensnaring animals in loops and openings in the plastic. For example, some sharks must keep swimming in order to breathe; but what if one of these apex predators becomes entangled in a plastic bag? It will no longer be able to swim and will sink to the bottom, effectively drowning.
In Texas, ecotourism generates a wealth of income to help build and sustain the state’s economy. They have dolphin watch cruises, snorkeling, and diving. The beaches themselves, with their miles of sand and shells, are hot-spots for tourists. Help make the state of Texas and the rest of the country better by banning the use of plastic bags."
