@article{754cf74f688442d591b2f25caa18f4ad,
title = "Plastics in regurgitated Flesh-footed Shearwater (Ardenna carneipes) boluses as a monitoring tool",
abstract = "Plastic production and pollution of the environment with plastic items is rising rapidly and outpacing current mitigation measures. Success of mitigation actions can only be determined if progress can be measured reliably through incorporation of specific, measurable targets. Here we evaluate temporal changes in the amount and composition of plastic in boluses from Flesh-footed Shearwaters during 2002–2020 and assess their suitability for measuring progress against national and international commitments to reduce plastic pollution. Plastic in the shearwater boluses showed a generally decreasing pattern from 2002 to 2015 and increasing again to 2020. The colour and type of plastics in boluses was comparable to items recovered from live and necropsied birds, but a much smaller sample size (~35 boluses/year) was required to detect changes in plastic number and mass over time. We therefore suggest shearwater boluses are a low-effort, high-statistical power monitoring tool for quantifying progress against environmental policies in Australia.",
keywords = "Long-term trends, Marine debris, Monitoring methods, Regurgitated pellet, Tasman Sea",
author = "Bond, {Alexander L.} and Ian Hutton and Lavers, {Jennifer L.}",
note = "Funding Information: Special thanks to Detached Cultural Organization, Sea World Research & Rescue Foundation (SWR/4/2015), Sydney Sea Life Foundation, Natural History Museum, Trading Consultants Ltd. (V. Wellington), L. Bryce, C. Noone, and the W.V. Scott Charitable Trust for providing funding for this project. Samples were collected with the permission of the Lord Howe Island Board (permit no. LHIB 07/12, 02/14, and 07/18) under the approval of the University of Tasmania Animal Ethics Committee (permit no. A10874, A11586, A13836, A16357, and A18480) and New South Wales Office of Environment & Heritage (licence no. SL100619 and SL102382). Photography and additional assistance in the field was provided by generous volunteers, particularly P. Clive, the Two Hands Project (S. Stuckenbrock & P. Sharp) and members of the Adrift Lab team. Comments from anonymous reviewers improved earlier drafts. Funding Information: Special thanks to Detached Cultural Organization , Sea World Research & Rescue Foundation ( SWR/4/2015 ), Sydney Sea Life Foundation , Natural History Museum , Trading Consultants Ltd. (V. Wellington), L. Bryce, C. Noone, and the W.V. Scott Charitable Trust for providing funding for this project. Samples were collected with the permission of the Lord Howe Island Board (permit no. LHIB 07/12, 02/14, and 07/18) under the approval of the University of Tasmania Animal Ethics Committee (permit no. A10874, A11586, A13836, A16357, and A18480) and New South Wales Office of Environment & Heritage (licence no. SL100619 and SL102382). Photography and additional assistance in the field was provided by generous volunteers, particularly P. Clive, the Two Hands Project (S. Stuckenbrock & P. Sharp) and members of the Adrift Lab team. Comments from anonymous reviewers improved earlier drafts. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Elsevier Ltd",
year = "2021",
month = jul,
doi = "10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112428",
language = "English",
volume = "168",
journal = "Marine Pollution Bulletin",
issn = "0025-326X",
publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",
}