Plastic in Seabird Stomachs is Decreasing - Slowly
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A new report has been published on the monitoring of plastics in stomachs of Northern Fulmars beached in the Netherlands. This indicator is used in Dutch and European policy decisions.
The report concludes that the quantity of plastics in stomachs of fulmars is somewhat decreasing. However, the rate of change is extremely slow.
The long-term target for ecological quality can only be realised if new policies are continuously developed, and if public awareness on the issue continues to grow.
The long-term policy target is that the proportion of beached fulmars with more than 0.1 gram of plastic in the stomach should be under 10%. Currently, 46% of the fulmars from the Netherlands exceeds the threshold of 0.1 gram of plastic in the stomach.
This article has been republished from materials provided by Wageningen University and Research. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.
Reference
Fulmar Litter EcoQO monitoring in the Netherlands - Update 2017. J.A. Van Franeker & S. Kühn. Den Helder, September 17, 2018. Wageningen Marine Research Report C060/18 & RWS Centrale Informatievoorziening BM 18.20, https://doi.org/10.18174/458857.
