Seabirds discovered with their stomachs full of deadly plastics

SCIENTISTS examining the devastating impact plastics are having on the world’s oceans have identified seabirds with more than 250 man-made objects lodged in their stomachs.

From bottle tops to pen lids, the fleshfooted shearwaters are thought to con- sume more plastic than any other marine animal. Often mistaking plastic floating in the sea for food, the adult birds pick them up and feed them to their young, with disastrous consequences.

Researchers working on Lord Howe Island, off the coast of Australia, where the flesh-footed shearwaters nest, claim that on average every chick has between 30 and 40 pieces of jagged plastic in their stomachs before they are fully fledged. In one case scientists found a young bird with 260 separate items of plastic stuck in its gut.

Even if the seabirds survive to leave the nest, the weight of the plastic resting in their stomach means they are often too heavy to take off and many drown in the surf around the island. The disturbing impact of pollution on the shearwater population is revealed in a BBC documentary, Drowning in Plastic, which is being broadcast a year on from the landmark Blue Planet II series. Presented by Sir David Attenborough, Blue Planet II, was credited with raising awareness of the threat posed by plastic pollution.

It was also thought to be responsible for the Queen’s decision to ban plastic bottles and straws from the Royal estates. In this latest BBC film, Liz Bonnin, the wildlife biologist, travels around the world to highlight the growing crisis facing the marine environment. She visits a group of scientists who have spent 12 years examining the world’s largest colony of fleshfooted shearwaters in the Tasman Sea.

Around 40,000 birds migrate to Lord Howe Island each year to lay their eggs in burrows deep inside the rainforest. Researchers believe the birds consume more plastic than any other marine animal.

Dr Jennifer Lavers, who leads the project, said their plight had worsened in the past decade.

She said: “Definitely more and more of the birds have plastic in them and we are finding and increasing number of birds that are more heavily affected.”

The film also looks at the impact of microplastics on the Arctic, examining how its presence in the food chain can be found from plankton up to walruses.

Drowning in Plastic airs on BBC One on Monday Oct 1 at 8.30pm