Plastic ingestion is an underestimated cause of death for southern hemisphere albatrosses

Lauren Roman,Richelle Grace Butcher,David Stewart,Phil Kowalski,Baukje Lenting,Britta Denise Hardesty,Stuart Hunter,Megan Jolly

doi:10.1111/conl.12785

Abstract

AbstractAlbatrosses are among the world's most imperiled vertebrates, with 73% of species threatened with extinction. Ingestion of plastic is a well‐recognized threat among three North Pacific species, but lesser known in the southern hemisphere, where it is considered a minor threat. As plastic entering the ocean is increasing while albatross populations decline, the threat of ocean plastic to albatross populations may be underestimated. We present case studies of 107 beach‐cast albatrosses of twelve species, received by wildlife hospitals in Australia and New Zealand, and estimate plastic ingestion and mortality rates for albatrosses in the southern hemisphere. Ingested plastic was present in 5.6% of individuals, and the cause of death in half of these cases. We estimate ingestion of plastic may cause 3.4–17.5% of nearshore mortalities and is worth consideration as a substantial threat to albatross populations. We provide clinical findings and “checklist” methodologies for identifying potential cases of foreign‐body gastrointestinal obstruction. We suggest practical policy responses, empowering decision makers to reduce albatross mortality from anthropogenic sources.

Highlights

1.1 Declining ocean wanderersAlbatrosses (Order: Procellariiformes, Family: Diomedeidae) are among the world’s most imperiled vertebrate species (Dias et al, 2019; IUCN, 2019; Phillips et al, 2016)
These encounters alone cannot account for population decline across all albatross species; there is considerable variability in the mortality of adult albatrosses that cannot be explained by fishing effort (Rolland, Weimerskirch, & Barbraud, 2010), leaving a dearth of knowledge surrounding the impact of less visible threats
We aimed to examine cause of death in albatrosses to ascertain the frequency of plastic ingestion and the frequency where death results from plastic ingestion

Summary

Introduction

1.1 Declining ocean wanderersAlbatrosses (Order: Procellariiformes, Family: Diomedeidae) are among the world’s most imperiled vertebrate species (Dias et al, 2019; IUCN, 2019; Phillips et al, 2016). By-catch in fishing operations and invasive species on breeding islands are recognized as the key threats driving the decline of albatross species (Dias et al, 2019), with mortality from these causes readily observable and quantifiable. These encounters alone cannot account for population decline across all albatross species; there is considerable variability in the mortality of adult albatrosses that cannot be explained by fishing effort (Rolland, Weimerskirch, & Barbraud, 2010), leaving a dearth of knowledge surrounding the impact of less visible threats. Collaboration research linking biologists and wildlife veterinarians would benefit the knowledge of causes of mortality to inform conservation of albatrosses

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