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Plastic Ingestion and Organic Pollutants in Seabirds of Gran Canaria (canary Islands, Spain)
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Researchers analyzed the stomach contents and tissues of 88 seabirds from 14 species stranded or found dead in the Canary Islands, finding both plastic particles and organic pollutants in many individuals. The study documents how seabirds accumulate both plastics and plastic-associated chemical contaminants, with microplastics acting as vectors that concentrate toxic organic pollutants in marine birds.
Ocean pollution is one of the greatest threats facing seabirds today. Plastics are ubiquitously distributed in the marine environment and their fragmentation into small particles facilitates their incorporation into food chains. The hydrophobic surface of microplastics, which facilitates the adsorption of organic pollutants present in the environment, as well as the use of additives in the manufacturing process of plastics, make these particles potential vehicles of pollutants to wildlife. In the Canary Islands, the literature is still scarce regarding the impact of plastics on seabirds. In this work, the carcasses of 88 animals of 14 species of birds (mainly marine, with the exception of some freshwater birds) were examined. The presence of plastics (¿ 1 mm) in the digestive tracts was studied and the livers were analyzed in order to determine the concentrations of PAHs, OCPs, BDEs and PCBs. A high prevalence of plastic ingestion was detected in Cory´s shearwaters (88.9%, n = 45) and Madeiran storm-petrels (100%, n = 5) and a lower frequency in yellow-legged gulls (30%, n = 20). Plastic items were also observed in the only cattle egret analyzed and in one of the two black-headed gulls sampled. The most frequently reported contaminants were PCB 153, p,p' -DDE, hexachlorobenzene, PCB 138, naphthalene, fluorene and PCB 180. Our results illustrate the impact of plastic pollution and organic pollutants on seabirds in the archipelago. We consider that biomonitoring would be useful to assist in the conservation of these species. Also see: https://micro2022.sciencesconf.org/427170/document
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Microplastics ingestion and chemical pollutants in seabirds of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain)
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Gastrointestinal examination of 88 seabirds from 14 species on Gran Canaria revealed widespread plastic ingestion alongside elevated chemical pollutant levels in liver tissue. The study documents the co-occurrence of plastic ingestion and chemical contamination in Canary Island seabirds, where plastic pollution research has previously been limited.
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Researchers conducted the first comprehensive assessment of plastic ingestion and organic pollutant exposure in northern gannets stranded along the southern Spanish coast. The study found that 88% of the 42 birds examined had ingested plastics, with microplastics dominating the debris, and transparent fibers being the most common type, alongside measurable levels of persistent organic pollutants in muscle tissue.
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Researchers characterised 674 plastic items found in the stomachs of Cory's shearwater fledglings from the Canary Islands, finding that ingested plastics were predominantly large microplastics (1-5 mm, 82%) with threadlike morphology, and that the birds serve as effective bioindicators of marine plastic pollution in the eastern Atlantic.
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