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Microplastics in the Beaufort Sea Beluga Food Web
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Researchers examined the stomachs of seven beluga whales harvested in Arctic Canada and found microplastics in all of them. This is among the first studies documenting microplastic ingestion in cetaceans and raises concern about plastic contamination reaching top predators in remote Arctic food webs.
Microplastics (MPs, particles <5 mm) represent an emerging global environmental concern and has been detected in multiple aquatic species. Very little is known, however, about the presence of MPs in higher trophic level species, including cetaceans. Working in collaboration with Inuvialuit hunters from Tuktoyaktuk (Northwest Territories, Canada) and researchers from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, entire stomachs and intestinal sub-sections were collected from seven beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in 2017 (n=4) and 2018 (n=3) for examination. Microplastics were detected in the gastrointestinal tracts in every whale. Each whale contained an estimated 18 to 147 MPs in their GI tract with an average of 97 ± 42 per individual. FTIR-spectroscopy revealed over eight plastic polymer types, with nearly half being polyester. Dominant MP types were equally present, with fragments making up 51% and fibres 49%. The potential source of MPs to beluga via prey items was also determined by examining the GI tracts from five Arctic fish species belonging to the beluga food web (n=116). Species investigated included (Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis), Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis) four-horn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) and capelin (Mallotus villosus). Microplastics were found in 21% of prey. The fish that contained microplastics had a mean abundance of 1.42 ± 0.44 particles per individual and 85% of particles observed were fibres. Particle size and polymer types found in prey were similar to those found in beluga, suggesting that trophic transfer of MPs from prey to beluga may be occurring. The diversity of MP shapes and polymeric identities in all species investigated points to a complex source scenario, and ultimately raises questions regarding the significance and long-term exposure of this pollutant in these ecologically and culturally valuable species.
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Microplastics in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the Eastern Beaufort Sea
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Researchers partnered with Inuvialuit hunters in Canada's Northwest Territories to examine microplastic contamination in beluga whales from the Eastern Beaufort Sea. They found microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of every whale sampled, with an average of 97 particles per individual and polyester fibers being the most common type. The diversity of plastic polymers and shapes found points to multiple contamination sources reaching even remote Arctic marine ecosystems.
Microplastics in beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) prey: An exploratory assessment of trophic transfer in the Beaufort Sea
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Researchers examined microplastic contamination in five fish species that are prey for beluga whales in the eastern Beaufort Sea of the Arctic. They found microplastics in 21% of fish examined, predominantly fibers, and estimated that individual beluga whales may ingest between 3,800 and 145,000 microplastic particles annually through their diet.
Microplastic ingestion in zooplankton from the Fram Strait in the Arctic
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Researchers found that all five zooplankton species examined in the Arctic Fram Strait had ingested microplastics, with polyester and polyamide fibers being the most common types, confirming widespread microplastic contamination at the base of the Arctic food web.
Evidence of microplastic ingestion in ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from the Canadian Arctic.
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Researchers examined the stomachs of 30 ringed seals from Arviat and Resolute Bay, Nunavut, finding microplastics in 77% of them. Most particles were tiny fragments or fibers, with no clear link to the seals' sex, age, or size, providing baseline data for future pollution monitoring in the Arctic.
Microplastics in subsistence harvested bowhead whale stomach, colon, and muscle
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Researchers analyzed microplastics in stomach, colon, and muscle tissues from bowhead whales harvested by Alaska Natives for subsistence, aiming to characterize contamination in this ecologically and culturally important Arctic species. Microplastics were present across all sampled tissue types, raising concerns for both whale health and human dietary exposure through traditional harvesting.
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