Plastics are Replacing Birds as the World’s Best Migrator

By: Noah Weiser

While plastics have been around for over a century, it was not until 1971 that plastics were discovered in the middle of the ocean. Today, plastic is synonymous with pollution. There is nowhere in the world that plastic has left untouched. One of the best indicators of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans and some of the species most severely impacted by plastic pollution are seabirds. Some seabird species are more heavily impacted than others including birds that travel long distances and cross entire oceans.

An especially difficult region to study plastic incursion and its impacts is in the Arctic. With melting sea ice and longer ice-free periods it has been easier for plastic to make its way into Arctic waterways. Only recently can scientists begin to figure the extent to which this is impacting Arctic ecosystems and seabirds. Populations of seabirds in the region are already on decline due to climate change and overfishing. Seabirds are an important indicator of ecosystem health as they are especially sensitive to environmental changes. Not only are some of them keystone species, but they also have important cultural roles for Indigenous people of the Arctic.

Increases in plastic in the Arctic have significant long-term repercussions for Arctic birds. Overtime microplastics can prove fatal to seabirds. Some of these issues include blocking seabird stomach’s and giving seabirds a false sense of feeling full and as a result the birds starve as they cannot fit digestible food in their stomachs. Additionally, once ingested, plastics can leech chemicals into the bird’s bloodstream killing them over time. Plastics can also scar internal organs causing internal bleeding. In one study of Northern Fulmars, over half had concerning levels of plastic in their stomachs. Some bird species like petrols and terns that migrate globally can accumulate toxic levels of plastic on their routes, but they also can indicate regional levels of pollution. Despite the repercussions of plastic pollution some species, like albatrosses and pelicans, are beginning to differentiate between food and plastic and are able to regurgitate the plastic.

Alaska is the only part of the U.S. with Arctic territory. Here the EPA is responsible for monitoring and regulating waste management. The U.S. already has several national policies that address marine pollution such as the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act, Maritime Pollution Prevention Act, and the Save Our Seas Act. There is also the Microbead Free Water Act which bans certain plastics in cosmetics. While certain Alaskan municipalities have various bans on plastic bags the State does not have any other statutes focused on plastic pollution.

Now that scientists are aware of the extent of plastic incursion into the Arctic, they are beginning to act. However, it may still be some time till significant change is enacted. While many Arctic countries have their own plastic regulations, there is currently no long term plastic monitoring program in place yet. The inconsistency in policies across regions makes it difficult to enforce international level. Even though there is the Global Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and the Convention on Biological Diversity do not yet have any section addressing plastic pollution. However, Norway and Iceland have created programs that monitor and track plastic pollution in seabirds.

Currently in place there is the Global Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and the Convention on Biological Diversity. This convention was put in place to motivate international communities to reform their coastal and marine litter. Additionally, there is the Arctic Migratory Birds Initiative. Because many arctic seabirds migrate each year the initiative’s goal is to fill in knowledge gaps and connect Arctic and non-Arctic regions. The goal of this initiative is to further understand the impacts of plastic pollution on seabirds and promote international collaboration. Furthermore, researchers are collaborating with indigenous people in the Arctic to help record, track, and monitor plastic pollution levels. The Arctic Council hopes that by working together the information can be compiled into a standardized and systematic database so they can accurately track seabird populations and plastic levels in the future.

While there are a wide array of laws and policies from the municipal level up to international ones that address pollution, very few actually focus on seabirds and plastics impact. Last year, delegates of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for Plastics agreed to draft a legally binding treaty covering plastic pollution on land and at sea. The goal of the treaty is to end plastic pollution by 2040. However, before the treaty can be ratified it faces the petroleum industry in the United States, Saudi Arabia, and China. To see substantial change and conserve seabird populations more countries need to enact stringent plastic bans and there needs to be more consistency in international monitoring and tracking of seabird species.