LE3 .A278 2020

2020

Mallory, Mark
Provencher, Jennifer

Acadia University

Master of Science

Masters

Biology

Biology

Plastic pollution ingestion by seabirds is an increasing issue of environmental concern, even in remote areas such as the Arctic, yet research and monitoring of plastic ingestion by Arctic seabird populations is limited and there are large knowledge gaps for many geographic regions. To fill these critical knowledge gaps, I conducted a literature review of plastic ingestion by seabirds in the circumpolar Arctic. Second, I reviewed marine plastic policies in the Arctic countries and examined how these policies apply to seabirds. Finally, I quantified plastic ingestion rates in four seabird species from the Canadian Arctic to evaluate species-specific and temporal differences in ingestion. Of the 51 seabird species examined for plastic ingestion in the Arctic, 53% had ingested plastic, however the majority have few studies, small sample sizes, and/or data that are more than 15 years old. Further, few marine plastic policies directly address seabirds or other marine biota, and policies are implemented inconsistently across regions, making it difficult to monitor policy efficacy. Plastic ingestion remains an issue in Arctic Canada, where I found that 72% of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and 15% of black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) contained plastic, while thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) and black guillemots (Cepphus grylle) did not. The number and mass of plastic ingested by thick-billed murres did not changeover timebut decreased in fulmars. This suggests that fulmars are ingesting less or smaller plastic pieces in this region , but given the 10 year gap between sampling efforts, trends are difficult to determine. In order to monitor trends of plastic pollution in seabirds in the Arctic, both pan-Arctic and international collaboration are needed to implement standardized policies and consistent long-term monitoring programs for marine plastic.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3540