Plastic pollution is widespread in the world’s oceans. A new study of northern fulmars from the North Atlantic shows that plastic pollution is also common in northern marine areas.
The northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) is a seabird found across the North Atlantic and Arctic marine regions, including along the Norwegian coast. It feeds at the ocean surface, mainly on small fish such as capelin and herring, as well as squid — both dead and alive. Unfortunately, this feeding behaviour also makes the birds to mistake plastic for food. For this reason, the northern fulmar is used as an indicator species for plastic pollution in the marine environment.
Since 2002, plastics in fulmar stomachs have been monitored in the North Sea through an international programme coordinated by the OSPAR Commission, which works to protect the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic. The Parties to the OSPAR Convention have adopted an environmental target stating that fewer than 10 percent of fulmars should contain more than 0.1 grams of plastic in their stomachs.
– We have good knowledge on plastic ingestion in fulmars from the North Sea, but much less knowledge from Arctic and northern parts of the North Atlantic, says Nina Dehnhard, senior researcher at NINA.
Collaboration with fishers provided new knowledge
To address this knowledge gap, the researchers collaborated with fishers in Norway and Iceland. Northern fulmars are unfortunately often caught as bycatch, particularly in longline fisheries. By preserving the birds and recording where and when they were caught, fishers contributed valuable scientific information.
The researchers examined 507 northern fulmars collected as bycatch between 2018 and 2024. The birds came from four regions: Northern Norway, Central Norway, Iceland and East Greenland.
Plastic in the stomachs of eight out of ten birds
Overall, 81 percent of the fulmars contained plastic in their stomachs. One in five birds contained more than 0.1 grams of plastic, exceeding the OSPAR environmental target.
Plastic fragments found in the stomach of a northern fulmar caught as bycatch near the Lofoten Islands in 2024. Photo: Nina Dehnhard/NINA.
At the same time, the birds in this study contained less plastic than fulmars previously studied in the North Sea. This suggests that plastic pollution levels are higher in the North Sea than in the investigated parts of the North Atlantic.
Many small plastic fragments in the north
The study found regional differences in the number of plastic particles, but not in the total mass of plastic found in the stomachs. Fulmars from Northern Norway and East Greenland contained more plastic particles than birds from Iceland.
At the same time, plastic particles found in birds from Iceland were on average heavier than those found in birds from Northern Norway.
One possible explanation is that plastic transported northwards by ocean currents gradually breaks down into increasingly smaller fragments over time.
– We still know too little about how long plastic remains in fulmars and how harmful it is to the birds, says Nina Dehnhard.
Important knowledge from poorly studied areas
The study shows that northern fulmars collected as fisheries bycatch can provide valuable knowledge on plastic pollution in regions where it is difficult to collect birds by other means.
At the same time, the researchers emphasize that the ultimate goal must be to reduce seabird bycatch. Until then, birds that would otherwise have been discarded can still provide important knowledge about plastics in the ocean.
This collaborative project was funded by the environment agencies in Norway and Iceland, carried out by master’s student Torill Verpe at the University of South-Eastern Norway, and led by NINA.
Read the scientific publication here:
Plastic loads of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) collected as bycatch in the North Atlantic