Donal Hickey: ‘Plastic soup’ is a recipe for disaster for seabirds
People on beaches during the summer will surely notice a high level of plastic waste, some of which is going to be swept out on the next tide — fragments of fishing gear, straws, shopping bags, bottles, cups, plates and used nappies, to mention just some examples.
Globally, experts believe around 100,000 turtles, whales, dolphins and seals are killed annually by marine waste, including plastic. In Ireland, the overall plastics recycling rate is only 33%… and you wonder where the other two-thirds ends up.
No surprise then to hear that plastic left to float in seawater may turn it cloudy, potentially releasing toxic chemicals into the water and it could do the same in birds’ stomachs.
On my way to Glasgow to attend the Spring SciX conference, and to present this poster on using FTIR and Raman spectroscopy to study plastic pollution. Follow the QR code to my website to learn more about my work! pic.twitter.com/7oOTKsWJgF
— Dr Joby Hollis 🏳️🌈🇪🇺 (@Jobium) April 16, 2024
When left in the water for six months, the pristine plastic also appears to cause a kind of scum to form on the surface, turning the mix into a “soup”, according to researcher Dr Joby Razzell Hollis at the Natural History Museum, London. “I sort of jokingly referred to it as ‘plastic soup’. It doesn’t really look like clean water anymore.”
His work focuses on the effect of plastic pollution on seabirds. “We’re really interested in seeing how the plastic is changing, but also what the plastic is releasing into the water,” he says.
Some 44% of seabird species are known to eat plastic, mistaking it for prey. Some species are particularly badly affected, causing malnutrition and new diseases like plasticosis, experts reveal.
Dr Hollis believes the plastic they have in their stomach is almost certainly too large to pass and won’t break down easily.
He hopes that by measuring the different types of plastic they eat, as well as the size, shape and colour, he will be able to understand why seabirds mistake plastic pollution for food, and what it is about plastic that causes the most harm when ingested.
Regarding the situation in Ireland, a Circular Ocean study found that 13 of 69 seabird species had evidence of ingesting plastic. But more information about all species is needed.
Somewhat positively, another global study tracking areas where seabirds are most likely to come into contact with plastics does not identify Ireland as one of the world’s hotspots for marine litter.
However, Dr Mark Jessopp, UCC researcher and a co-author of the study, says most Irish seabirds have traces of plastic in their guts.
“We don’t really know what impact this is having and we cannot afford to be complacent because Ireland has a statutory obligation to protect our seabird populations. That said, our manx shearwaters winter off Argentina, and their exposure risk to plastic is much higher there,” he points out.
