First documentation of plastic ingestion in the arctic glaucous gull (Larus hyperboreus)

Abstract

<p> Arctic wildlife is facing multiple stressors, including increasing plastic pollution. Seabirds are intrinsic to marine ecosystems, but most seabird populations are declining. We lack knowledge on plastic ingestion in many arctic seabird species, and there is an urgent need for more information to enable risk assessment and monitoring. Our study aimed to investigate the occurrence of plastics in glaucous gulls (<em>Larus hyperboreus</em>) breeding on <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/svalbard" title="Learn more about Svalbard from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">Svalbard</a>. The glaucous gull is a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/sentinel" title="Learn more about sentinel from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">sentinel</a> species for the health of the arctic marine ecosystem, but there have been no studies investigating plastic occurrence in this species since 1994. As a surface feeder and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/generalist" title="Learn more about generalist from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">generalist</a> living in an area with high human activity on Svalbard, we expected to find plastic in its stomach. We investigated for plastic >1 mm and documented plastic ingestion for the first time in glaucous gulls, with a frequency of occurrence of 14.3% (<em>n</em> = 21). The plastics were all identified as user plastics and consisted of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/polypropylene" title="Learn more about polypropylene from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">polypropylene</a> (PP) and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/polystyrene" title="Learn more about polystyrene from ScienceDirect's AI-generated Topic Pages">polystyrene</a> (PS). Our study provides new quantitative and qualitative data on plastic burden and polymer type reported in a standardized manner establishing a reference point for future research and monitoring of arctic gulls on national and international levels. <br></p>