PLASTIC PLAGUE
St Andrews University research reveals the shocking scale of microfibres lurking inside Antarctic’s King Penguins
THEY are among the superstars of the avian world, drawing millions of visitors to zoos and marine centres across the globe. But a study has sparked fears over the future of King Penguins, after they found three-quarters of birds surveyed in South Georgia had microfibres inside them.
Less than the length of a baby’s fingernail and often coated in toxic chemicals, the microfibres can lodge in a bird’s stomach and, as they break down into even smaller nano-particles, wreak havoc throughout the body.
Until recently it was believed the Antarctic was a haven from the menace and protected by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which flows eastward around the continent.
The island is home to one of the world’s largest colonies of King Penguins, with about 100,000 pairs. The birds, which are more than 3ft high, raise just one chick every two years , and have a striking patch of orange-gold feathers on their neck.
Lead researcher Camille Le Guen, from the University of St Andrews, who spent over two months on the island, said: “The seas are suffering from climate change, and over-fishing – plastic pollution is an added and growing threat.
“The Southern Ocean was supposed to be the cleanest ocean in the world, but maybe this is not such an isolated place after all.
“The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is like a semi barrier for microfibres, but once the microfibres manage to get in, they are stuck because of that current and then they will accumulate.
“We found 77 per cent of birds had microfibres in their diet, birds with chicks and even non-breeding birds.
“If they are ingested in the stomach, they may degrade and end up inside the body, and then they cause problems.”
Global plastic production has increased almost 70-fold over the last 60 years, from 0.5 million tons in 1960 to 348m tons in 2017 and almost 300m tons of plastic debris is estimated to be floating at the sea surface globally, with more deposited on the sea floor.
Microfibres are concentrated in surface waters and sediments but can also build up in fish.
The highest level of contamination was found among birds incubating their eggs through the long sub-antarctic night.
Made up of both plastic and natural material, such as cotton, the fibres contained a toxic mix of chemicals and plastic additives, including dyes and flame retardants.
They also fill up the stomachs of the birds, which are already under threat from global warming, undermining their health.
According to environmental campaign group Friends Of The Earth, one washing load of clothes could be shedding up to 17 million tiny plastic fibres. Most new fabrics are made of plastic such as polyester, nylon, acrylic and polyamide.
Lying 860 miles south-east of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is a UK Overseas Territory. It is more than 120 miles long and up to 28 miles wide, rising to 9,700ft at Mount Paget.
In the international study, published in the journal Environment International, samples were collected last February and March at South Georgia from incubating, chick-rearing and non-breeding birds.
Ms Le Guen warned: “We never know what is going to happen next.
“The real concern now is nano plastics, resulting from the degradation of the microplastic fibres, and this is more of a problem.
“It has been shown in different species that nanoplastic can get into the organs, the brain, the different tissues and alter their functioning.”
Dr Philip Trathan, head of conservation biology at the British Antarctic Survey, said: “I think plastics are now pervasive in all the world’s ocean and undertaking research to identify where, and when, plastics enter the food chain is really important.
“We have been studying debris
– that comes from fishing vessels and undetectable sources – on beaches at South Georgia for 25 years or more and they can be swept in on the ocean currents from South America and further afield.
“Studies highlight the importance of monitoring in remote locations such as Antarctica and the sub-antarctic. These studies, including that of Ms Le Guen on King Penguins, are key for alerting people to such global issues.”
Maybe this is not such an isolated place after all