Elevated levels of ingested plastic in a high Arctic seabird, the northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)

A.M. Trevail*, G.W. Gabrielsen, S. Kühn, J.A. van Franeker

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    119 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Plastic pollution is of worldwide concern; however, increases in international commercial activity in the Arctic are occurring without the knowledge of the existing threat posed to the local marine environment by plastic litter. Here, we quantify plastic ingestion by northern fulmars, Fulmarus glacialis, from Svalbard, at the gateway to future shipping routes in the high Arctic. Plastic ingestion by Svalbard fulmars does not follow the established decreasing trend away from human marine impact. Of 40 sampled individuals, 35 fulmars (87.5 %) had plastic in their stomachs, averaging at 0.08 g or 15.3 pieces per individual. Plastic ingestion levels on Svalbard exceed the ecological quality objective defined by OSPAR for European seas. This highlights an urgent need for mitigation of plastic pollution in the Arctic as well as international regulation of future commercial activity.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)975-981
    JournalPolar Biology
    Volume38
    Issue number7
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2015

    Keywords

    • atlantic-ocean
    • sea
    • debris
    • biodiversity
    • pacific
    • chicks

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Elevated levels of ingested plastic in a high Arctic seabird, the northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this