Monitoring macroplastic ingestion by birds and marine mammals in northeastern Patagonia, Argentina.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022;
185:114288. [PMID:
36330942 DOI:
10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114288]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Plastic debris is of particular concern due to its abundance, and its persistence in the environment. In Argentina, the impact of plastic debris has been documented with a significant increase during the last years. However, evidence of debris ingestion remains low compared to other regions of the world. Between 2020 and 2022, one of the twenty-three individuals analyzed in this study (seven species: five birds and two marine mammals) had ingested plastic debris. A single macroplastic piece was found in the Great Grebe (Podiceps major). It was a hardy yellow elastic band that appears to be a packaging band in agreement with the debris category with the greatest number of reports. This study is a contribution to the few records of plastic ingestion in birds, on the east coast of South America.
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