INCREASING FREQUENCY OF PLASTIC PARTICLES INGESTED BY SEABIRDS IN THESUB-ARCTIC NORTH PACIFIC

We examined gut contents of 1799 seabirds comprising 24 species collec ted in 1988-1990 to assess the types and quantities of plastic particl es ingested by seabirds in the subarctic waters of Alaska. Of the 15 s pecies found to ingest plastic, most were surface-feeders (shearwaters , petrels, gulls) or plankton-feeding divers (auklets, puffins). Of 44 17 plastic particles examined, 76% were industrial pellets and 21% wer e fragments of 'user' plastic. Ingestion rates varied geographically, but no trends were evident and rates of plastic ingestion varied far m ore among species within areas than within species among areas. Compar ison with similar data from 1968 seabirds comprising 37 species collec ted in 1969-1977 revealed that plastic ingestion by seabirds has incre ased significantly during the 10-15-year interval between studies. Thi s was demonstrated by: (i) an increase in the total number of species ingesting plastic; (ii) an increase in the frequency of occurrence of plastic particles within species that ingested plastic; and, (iii) an increase in the mean number of plastic particles ingested by individua ls of those species.