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Plastic ingestion in adult and fledgling Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus on Skomer Island, Wales
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This study evaluated the efficacy of three wastewater treatment technologies—conventional activated sludge, membrane bioreactor, and advanced oxidation—for removing nanoplastics, finding that membrane bioreactors achieved the highest removal efficiency. However, even membrane bioreactor effluent contained detectable nanoplastic concentrations, highlighting the challenge of complete particle removal from wastewater streams.
Plastic debris is ubiquitous in the marine environment, and seabirds are among the most impacted marine vertebrates. Plastic ingestion was investigated in an internationally-important breeding population of Manx Shearwaters Puffinus puffinus on Skomer Island, Wales in 2018–19. Opportunistic necropsies were carried out on a total of 34 birds to collect contents of the gastrointestinal tract: 13 adults from April to July 2019 and 12 fledglings during September 2019, and a further nine opportunistic necropsies carried out from adults from July to September 2018. The presence, quantity, size and colour of plastic in the gastrointestinal tract was investigated. Plastic was found in 71% of Manx Shearwater stomachs (68% of adults, 75% of fledglings). Adults were found to have larger plastic pieces in their gastrointestinal tract than fledglings, and lighter birds had larger pieces of plastic in their tracts than heavier birds. This study shows that Manx Shearwaters on Skomer Island are vulnerable to plastic ingestion, and that adults are likely to pass plastic to their chicks.
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Plastic Ingestion in Marine and Coastal Bird Species of Southeastern Australia
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This study analyzed stomach contents of seabirds and coastal birds from southeastern Australia and found that 30% of sampled birds contained plastic, with shearwaters having significantly higher plastic mass and piece counts than other species. Manufactured plastic dominated, and evidence of internal physical damage and intestinal blockage was observed, highlighting the need for further research in Australian waters.
Plastic ingestion by Cory's and Scopoli's shearwaters (Calonectris spp.) from the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
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This study documented plastic ingestion in 529 individuals of two Calonectris shearwater species (C. borealis and C. diomedea) from the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean, finding higher plastic loads in Mediterranean birds and fledglings compared to post-fledglings. The authors proposed a mass-based threshold monitoring system, suggesting thresholds of 0.0098 g for fledglings and 0.0041 g for post-fledglings, under which 40–88% of birds depending on location exceeded the threshold, advocating this approach over particle-count methods.
Size and dynamics of microplastic in gastrointestinal tracts of Northern Fulmars ( Fulmarus glacialis ) and Sooty Shearwaters ( Ardenna grisea )
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Researchers examined microplastic in the gastrointestinal tracts of 143 Northern Fulmars and 25 Sooty Shearwaters stranded on Oregon and Washington beaches, finding plastic in 89.5% and 64% of birds respectively, with larger particles concentrated in the stomach's upper chamber and no significant reduction in plastic load in birds held in a plastic-free rehabilitation environment for up to seven days.
Alterations in characteristics of plastic ingestion and decreasing body condition in beachcast fledgling short-tailed shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris) at Phillip Island, Australia.
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Analysis of beachcast short-tailed shearwater fledglings showed high rates of plastic ingestion (87–95% of birds in 2021–2022) alongside declining body condition, suggesting plastic pollution is affecting seabird health at Phillip Island, Victoria. Changes in plastic ingestion characteristics over time were also documented.
Plastic ingestion in seabirds of the western Indian Ocean
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Researchers examined stomach contents of 222 seabirds from nine species in the western Indian Ocean and found plastic in all species, with tropical shearwaters (79%) and Barau's petrels (59%) most affected, and juvenile birds carrying significantly greater plastic mass than adults, indicating regional ocean plastic pollution and age-dependent exposure risks.
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