Plastic particles in the northern fulmar
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Plastics have become part of everyday life in Canada and around the world. Poor waste management and improper disposal have led to significant plastic pollution. In Canada, it is estimated that about 1% of plastic waste makes its way into the environment, amounting to roughly 40 400 tonnes in 2020.Footnote 1 This plastic waste can be unintentionally ingested by seabirds, such as the northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), which feed at the ocean's surface. Sampling plastic in the stomachs of seabirds provides information on plastic pollution on the surface of Canada's oceans.
This indicator reports the percentage of northern fulmars obtained through opportunistic collection that had 0.1 gram (g) or more of plastic in their stomach.Footnote 2 This reporting was developed to mirror the long term goal for the North-East Atlantic under the OSPAR convention.
Atlantic
Plastic particles in the northern fulmar at Sable Island
Key results
For northern fulmars collected at Sable Island in the Atlantic for the time periods between 2001 and 2023:
- The proportion of northern fulmars with 0.1 gram (g) or more of plastic in their stomach had a peak of 85% for the 2001 to 2005 time period and a low of 52% for the 2010 to 2023 time period
- The proportion of northern fulmars with 0.1 g to 0.5 g of plastic in their stomach stayed relatively consistent for all time periods, ranging between 24% and 35%
- The proportion of northern fulmars with 0.5 g to 1.0 g of plastic in their stomach also stayed relatively consistent for all time periods, ranging between 8% and 16%
Northern fulmars with 0.1 g or more of plastic in their stomach, Sable Island, Canada, 2001 to 2023
Data table for the long description
| Sample period | Sample size | Proportion of northern fulmars with less than 0.1 g of plastic (percentage) |
Proportion of northern fulmars with 0.1 g to 0.5 g of plastic (percentage) |
Proportion of northern fulmars with more than 0.5 g to 1.0 g of plastic (percentage) |
Proportion of northern fulmars with more than 1.0 g of plastic (percentage) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-2005 | 53 | 15 | 26 | 11 | 47 |
| 2002-2006 | 64 | 19 | 30 | 11 | 41 |
| 2003-2007 | 95 | 33 | 25 | 8 | 34 |
| 2004-2008 | 109 | 34 | 26 | 9 | 31 |
| 2005-2009 | 117 | 31 | 24 | 11 | 34 |
| 2006-2010 | 87 | 41 | 25 | 10 | 23 |
| 2007-2011 | 107 | 40 | 28 | 11 | 21 |
| 2008-2012 | 79 | 33 | 32 | 15 | 20 |
| 2009-2022 | 67 | 30 | 33 | 16 | 21 |
| 2010-2023 | 60 | 48 | 35 | 10 | 7 |