Flesh-footed Shearwaters and ingested plastic; photograph from the Adrift Lab

A study of the globally Near Threatened Flesh-footed Shearwater Ardenna carneipes on Australia’s Lord Howe Island published open access in the Journal of Hazardous Materials by Jack Rivers-Auty (Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia) has concluded that microplastic particles cause considerable tissue damage.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is ubiquitous and increasing.  The environment is inundated with microplastics (< 1 mm), and the health effects of these less conspicuous pollutants is poorly known.  In addition, there is now evidence that macroplastics can release microplastics in the form of shedding or digestive fragmentation, meaning there is potential for macroplastic exposure to induce direct and indirect pathology through microplastics.  Therefore, there is an urgent need for data from wild populations on the relationship between macro- and microplastic exposure and the potential compounding pathological effects of these forms of plastics.  We investigated the presence and impact of microplastics in multiple tissues from Flesh-footed Shearwaters Ardenna carneipes, a species that ingests considerable quantities of plastics, and used histopathological techniques to measure physiological responses and inflammation from the plastics.  All organs examined (kidney, spleen, proventriculus) had embedded microplastic particles and this correlated with macroplastic exposure.  Considerable tissue damage was recorded, including a significant reduction in tubular glands and rugae in the proventriculus, and evidence of inflammation, fibrosis, and loss of organ structures in the kidney and spleen. This indicates macroplastics can induce damage directly at the site of exposure, while microplastics can be mobilised throughout the body causing widespread pathology.  Collectively, these results indicate the scope and severity of the health impacts of plastic pollution may be grossly underestimated.”

Read more by the Adrift Lab about the publication here, as well as here.

ACAP has chosen the theme of “Plastic Pollution” for next year’s World Albatross Day on 19 June.

Reference:

Rivers-Auty, J., Bond, A.L., Grant, M.L. & Lavers, J.L. 2022.  The one-two punch of plastic exposure: macro- and micro-plastics induce multi-organ damage in seabirds.  Journal of Hazardous Materials.  doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130117.

John Cooper, ACAP News Correspondent, 18 October 2022

The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition's newly released Plastic Pollution from Ships infographic 

A new infographic drawing attention to plastic pollution in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean from the shipping industry, including fisheries, has been released by the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC). Nets, fishing lines and traps are possibly the most obvious sources of plastic waste from fishing activities, but ASOC highlights numerous sources of marine plastics including, garbage generated on-board ships, micro-fibres from grey water waste, micro-plastics leached into the ocean from use in marine coating products, and the plastics found in containers lost overboard. The infographic is one of a series with a previous poster highlighting the threats to marine life and the wider environment posed by abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) or ghost fishing gear. ASOC's infographics are available to download at their website.

Marine life including marine animals such as seabirds, are navigating waters increasingly polluted with plastic waste. A report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that plastic consumption has quadrupled over the last three decades with production of plastics doubling between 2000 and 2019 to reach 460 million tonnes (Mt). Only 6% of global plastic production originates from recycled or secondary plastics and it is estimated that a staggering 30 Mt of plastic waste is currently present in the world’s seas and oceans. The United Nations has predicted that by 2050 there could be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish.

To raise awareness of this serious and growing issue, ACAP has chosen Plastic Pollution as the theme for 2023’s World Albatross Day (WAD2023). Whether ingested and then fed to chicks or causing entanglements, plastics pose a significant threat to albatrosses. However, pollutants in the marine environment are not limited to plastics, with exposure to heavy metals, (such as mercury) and POPs (persistent organic pollutants, such as insecticides) also presenting problems for this incredible species and therefore will be included in World Albatross Day’s 2023 campaign.

A Laysan Albatross incubating its egg; photograph by Lindsay Young

Each year ACAP features particular albatross species in artworks, posters and infographics to promote World Albatross Day. Of the four species chosen for 2023, two species in particular underscore albatrosses plight with plastic: the Black-footed Phoebastria nigripes and Laysan P. immutabilis Albatrosses of the North Pacific, which are known to ingest more plastic than the southern hemisphere species. The globally Endangered Northern Royal Albatross D. sanfordi, endemic to New Zealand and the abundant and widespread Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris will also feature in the World Albatross Day campaign for 2023.

A mural of the plastic load found in the stomach contents of a Laysan Albatross chick that died a month before it would have fledged; artwork and photograph by Sheldon Plentovich

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14 October 2022

A Laysan Albatross feeds its chick; photograph by Pete Leary

Morgan Gilmour (U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, California, USA) and colleagues have published open access in Marine Ecology Progress Series (MEPS) on foraging patterns in chick-provisioning Laysan Albatrosses under varying environmental conditions.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Animals that regularly traverse habitat extremes between the subtropics and subarctic are expected to exhibit foraging behaviors that respond to changes in dynamic ocean habitats, and these behaviors may facilitate adaptations to novel and changing climates. During the chick-provisioning stage, Laysan albatross Phoebastria immutabilis parents regularly undertake short- and long-distance foraging trips throughout the vast central North Pacific Ocean. We examined GPS tracking data among chick-provisioning albatrosses in Hawai‘i to characterize habitats during short- and long-distance trips. The study period encompassed a marine heatwave (2014) and the cooling period after an extreme El Niño event (2016), enabling us to examine foraging habitats under novel and changing climates. First passage time and generalized additive mixed models indicated that during 183 short and 110 long trips (n = 32 birds), wind-assisted flight efficiency, proximity to productive areas, and moonlit-searching were important in both subtropical and subarctic habitats. Laysan albatross took foraging trips that had similar lengths and durations in 2014 and 2016 and visited similar areas, indicating that their foraging range did not expand in response to climatic variability. A strategy that uses similar foraging areas across years combined with reliance on environmental processes that enhance flight efficiency (wind) and that enable searching behaviors (moonlight) indicate that Laysan albatross exhibit complex behavioral plasticity that allows them to utilize subtropical and subarctic habitats affected by dynamic climate variability. This strategy may benefit their ability to respond to oceanographic and climatic change, including expanding warm water regions and changing atmospheric conditions influenced by global warming.”

REFERENCE

Gilmour M.E., Felis J, Hester M., Young L., Adams J. (2022) Laysan albatross exhibit complex behavioral plasticity in the subtropical and subarctic North Pacific Ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series 697:125-147. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14148

13 October 2022

A still from an Australian Government's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water animation raising awareness of the imapcts of light pollution by Redboat Animation and Video (animation below)

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) celebrations took place on October 8 with events highlighting this year’s theme of Light Pollution held across the world. In the lead up to the event, World Migratory Bird Day held two webinars, “Overview of Light Pollution Impact” and “Solutions and Policies to tackle Light Pollution”, which are now available to watch online. The webinars are available in both English and Spanish at the Environment for the Americas YouTube channel.

Speakers over the two days included: 

• Dr. Travis Longcore, Associate Adjunct Professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
• Dr. Jeffrey Buler, Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware
• Judy Pollock, president of Chicago Audubon Society

• Caesar San Miguel, Senior Policy Officer at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water of the Australian Government
• Ivo Tejeda, Director of the Network of the Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre
• Marco Barbieri, Scientific and Technical Officer at the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)

An enormous diversity of birds, active both nocturnally and diurnally, experience impacts of light pollution. Seabirds such as petrels and shearwaters commonly get drawn into hazardous situations on land and on ships by artificial light sources. Solutions addressing the impact of light pollution are available and being implemented by governments, companies and communities across the globe. Internationally agreed guidelines on light pollution covering marine turtles, seabirds and migratory shorebirds already exist and have been endorsed by the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Encouragingly, new international guidelines focusing on migratory landbirds and bats are currently being developed under CMS and will be presented to CMS Parties for adoption at the 14th Conference of the Parties to CMS in 2023.

The webinars were presented in partnership with the Convention of Migratory Species (CMS), Environment for the Americas (EFTA), the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP). 

The Australian Government's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water's website has a range of resources and information on light pollution including tips to reduce its impacts on wildlife. Visit the website here to discover more information and how you can help.

Video courtesy of the Australian Government - Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

12 October 2022