Hawksbill turtles PS pellets and other manmade materials in stomachs. Marine turtles eat a wide variety of synthetic material, including pellets. Effects of toxic chemicals released by these materials and physical obstruction of the digestive tracts are two possible adverse impacts. Loggerhead turtles Pellets, crude oil, and tarballs apparently are ingested and excreted. Flounder and polychaetes Ingestions by flounder.
Polychaetes incorporate pellets into dwelling tubes.
Lobster and winter flounder Low numbers of pellets ingested, and more common in lobsters than in winter flounder. Epibionts Epibionts on pellets include coralline algae, bryozoans, calcareous annelids, and foraminiferans. Humans Concentrations ranged from 20,000 pellets per meter, and may lead to esthetically displeasing plastic sand beaches. Humans Labeled combination of plastic debris and pellets beach confetti.