Macro-and micro-plastics detected in razorbill Alca torda in the western Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

The Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot for plastic pollution and, consequently, an area at high risk of plastic exposure for oceanic seabirds. In this work we retrieved plastic items from different tissues/organs of razorbills Alca torda. This is a piscivorous species of the Alcidae family usually thriving along the North Atlantic coasts. In the winter 2022–2023, some individuals were observed in the Mediterranean area up to the Italian tyrrhenian coasts. Among the five carcasses examined, three contained plastic debris, mainly in the digestive system, in the form of fragments and fibers. The latter were also found in the pectoral muscles and, in one individual, in the liver. Polyethylene was the most represented polymer (55.2 %), followed by polypropylene (24.1 %) and cellulose (10.4 %). Previous reports hypothesized that North Atlantic razorbills are less exposed to plastic pollution because of their feeding strategy. Our results contradict this hypothesis, highlighting their susceptibility to plastic contamination.