Characterising the plastics ingested by northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) across the north-east Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

Marine plastic pollution affects a myriad of species across the world. The interactions between wildlife and marine plastics can be broadly categorised as either entanglement or ingestion of plastics. Seabirds, and especially Procellariiformes, have been identified as particularly vulnerable to ingesting plastics. The ingestion of plastics by the northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) has been studied for many years across its distribution range as part of monitoring efforts investigating the status of plastic pollution in the ocean. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the polymer composition of the ingested plastic, which is important for the development of meaningful mitigation strategies. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the degree of plastic ingestion and particularly the polymer composition of ingested plastics by northern fulmars from the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Svalbard and north-east Greenland, using FTIR spectroscopy. The results show that the majority of fulmars from all four regions ingested plastics, with individuals from the Faroe Islands exhibiting significantly higher levels compared to those from Svalbard and north-east Greenland. Similarly, the Icelandic fulmars had ingested significantly more plastics than the Greenlandic birds. For all four regions, the majority of ingested plastics was composed of polyethylene, followed by polypropylene and polystyrene. The results indicate differences in the polymer profile between the four regions which should be the subject of future research efforts.