Importation of plastic fragments into a seabird colony: accident or design, threat or benign?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
JANSKE VAN DE CROMMENACKER ◽  
JOANNA H. SOARES ◽  
CHRISTINE S. LAROSE ◽  
CHRIS J. FEARE
Keyword(s):  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Seabird Colony ◽  
Onychoprion Fuscatus ◽  
Sooty Tern

Summary Plastic pollution affects marine ecosystems worldwide and poses risks for seabirds. Most recorded impacts on organisms are negative but, in some cases, the constructive use of plastic fragments or objects by birds has also been recorded. Small blue and green plastic fragments are found scattered among nests in a large (c.500,000 pairs) Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus nesting colony on Bird Island, Seychelles. We investigated whether the fragments were being imported by the birds, and if so whether import was accidental or intentional. We found that Sooty Terns were the only seabird species to have plastic fragments in their nesting area and import of fragments varied seasonally and spatially. Throughout the colony, plastic fragments were imported during egg-laying, incubation, and chick-rearing, but import declined as chicks began to fledge. A part of the colony where all eggs were harvested for human consumption received more fragments than among undisturbed nests. We failed to find evidence of ingestion and excretion of fragments and suggest other avenues for investigation.

scholarly journals Sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) survival, oil spills, shrimp fisheries, and hurricanes

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan M. Huang ◽  
Oron L. Bass Jr ◽  
Stuart L. Pimm
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Shrimp Fishery ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Face Threats ◽  
Shrimp Fisheries ◽  
Onychoprion Fuscatus ◽  
Sooty Tern ◽  
The Impact

Migratory seabirds face threats from climate change and a variety of anthropogenic disturbances. Although most seabird research has focused on the ecology of individuals at the colony, technological advances now allow researchers to track seabird movements at sea and during migration. We combined telemetry data on Onychoprion fuscatus (sooty terns) with a long-term capture-mark-recapture dataset from the Dry Tortugas National Park to map the movements at sea for this species, calculate estimates of mortality, and investigate the impact of hurricanes on a migratory seabird. Included in the latter analysis is information on the locations of recovered bands from deceased individuals wrecked by tropical storms. We present the first known map of sooty tern migration in the Atlantic Ocean. Our results indicate that the birds had minor overlaps with areas affected by the major 2010 oil spill and a major shrimp fishery. Indices of hurricane strength and occurrence are positively correlated with annual mortality and indices of numbers of wrecked birds. As climate change may lead to an increase in severity and frequency of major hurricanes, this may pose a long-term problem for this colony.

Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus)

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Schreiber ◽  
C. J. Feare ◽  
Brian A. Harrington ◽  
B. G. Murray ◽  
W. B. Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Onychoprion Fuscatus ◽  
Sooty Tern

scholarly journals Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (38) ◽  
pp. 11899-11904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Wilcox ◽  
Erik Van Sebille ◽  
Britta Denise Hardesty
Keyword(s):  
Risk Model ◽  
Ingestion Rate ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Spatial Risk

Plastic pollution in the ocean is a global concern; concentrations reach 580,000 pieces per km2 and production is increasing exponentially. Although a large number of empirical studies provide emerging evidence of impacts to wildlife, there has been little systematic assessment of risk. We performed a spatial risk analysis using predicted debris distributions and ranges for 186 seabird species to model debris exposure. We adjusted the model using published data on plastic ingestion by seabirds. Eighty of 135 (59%) species with studies reported in the literature between 1962 and 2012 had ingested plastic, and, within those studies, on average 29% of individuals had plastic in their gut. Standardizing the data for time and species, we estimate the ingestion rate would reach 90% of individuals if these studies were conducted today. Using these results from the literature, we tuned our risk model and were able to capture 71% of the variation in plastic ingestion based on a model including exposure, time, study method, and body size. We used this tuned model to predict risk across seabird species at the global scale. The highest area of expected impact occurs at the Southern Ocean boundary in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, which contrasts with previous work identifying this area as having low anthropogenic pressures and concentrations of marine debris. We predict that plastics ingestion is increasing in seabirds, that it will reach 99% of all species by 2050, and that effective waste management can reduce this threat.

Plastic ingestion by seabirds in the circumpolar Arctic: a review

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia E. Baak ◽  
Jannie F. Linnebjerg ◽  
Tom Barry ◽  
Maria V. Gavrilo ◽  
Mark L. Mallory ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Standard Technique ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Small Sample Sizes

Plastic pollution is a ubiquitous global environmental problem. Plastic ingestion by seabirds is an increasing issue even in remote areas, such as the Arctic, yet research and monitoring of plastic ingestion in Arctic seabird populations is limited, and there are large knowledge gaps for many geographic regions. There is currently no standard technique for monitoring plastic debris in the Arctic, making it difficult to compare studies and monitor global trends. Here, we review the current state of knowledge of plastic ingestion by seabirds in the Arctic. We analyzed 38 published records that report plastic ingestion by seabirds in the Arctic region. Of the 51 seabird species examined for plastic ingestion in the Arctic, over half have ingested plastic; however, the majority have a limited number of studies, small sample sizes, and (or) data are more than 15 years old. Additionally, the spatial distribution of plastic ingestion reports in the Arctic varies widely, with large knowledge gaps in the northernmost areas of most countries. This indicates that we lack recent information on plastic ingestion for most of the seabird species in the Arctic. Further, less than one-third of studies reference standardized methods from other regions, making it difficult to assess spatial and temporal trends. Long-term monitoring programs should be established in the Arctic to obtain an accurate assessment of plastic ingestion by seabirds in this region.

scholarly journals Utilization of egg-laying hens (Gallus Gallus domesticus) for production of ingredients for human consumption and animal feed

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Hjellnes ◽  
Rasa Šližyte ◽  
Turid Rustad ◽  
Ana Karina Carvajal ◽  
Kirsti Greiff
Keyword(s):  
Laying Hens ◽  
Animal Feed ◽  
Gallus Gallus ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Gallus Domesticus ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Gallus Gallus Domesticus

scholarly journals Geolocation Reveals Year-Round at-Sea Distribution and Activity of a Superabundant Tropical Seabird, the Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Jaeger ◽  
Chris J. Feare ◽  
Ron W. Summers ◽  
Camille Lebarbenchon ◽  
Christine S. Larose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Onychoprion Fuscatus ◽  
Sooty Tern

scholarly journals Socially Induced Synchronization of Every-Other-Day Egg Laying in a Seabird Colony

The Auk ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shandelle M. Henson ◽  
James L. Hayward ◽  
J. M. Cushing ◽  
Joseph G. Galusha
Keyword(s):  
Egg Laying ◽  
Seabird Colony

scholarly journals A Comparison of Microplastic in Fish From Australia and Fiji

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Wootton ◽  
Marta Ferreira ◽  
Patrick Reis-Santos ◽  
Bronwyn M. Gillanders
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Coastal Geomorphology ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
The Past ◽  
Coral Trout ◽  
Plastic Type ◽  
Polymer Type

Awareness surrounding plastic pollution has increased significantly in the past decade, leading to concerns on potential adverse effects on biota, including the consumption of microplastic by fish. Globally, plastic has been found in many species of fish, but little research has been undertaken in the southern hemisphere. We assessed the abundance and type of plastic in fish captured and sold for human consumption in Australia and Fiji. Fish (goatfish, sea mullet, paddletail, and common coral trout) had their gastrointestinal tracts dissected and microplastic quantified under a microscope. Plastic polymer types were confirmed using μ-FTIR. In Australia, plastic was found in 61.6% of fish gastrointestinal tracts, while in Fiji, 35.3% of fish had plastic. Fish from Australia had almost double the amount of plastic on average than fish caught in Fiji, with 1.58 (± 0.23) pieces per fish in Australia compared to 0.86 (± 0.14) in fish caught in Fiji. The types of plastic differed between countries, with fibers comprising 83.6% of microplastic pieces in fish from Australia whereas 50% of microplastic found in fish from Fiji was film. Polyolefin was the most abundant polymer type in both fibers from Australia and film from Fiji. We hypothesize variations in abundance and plastic type are a reflection of the population density and coastal geomorphology, but may also be a result of legislation and waste management strategies in the two countries. This work adds evidence to the pervasive presence of plastic in fish gastrointestinal tracts, reinforcing the urgent need for efficient plastic waste management, but also a better understanding of the impacts of microplastic on marine biota.

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