Plastic pollution threatens Albany seabirds

An interstate marine scientist has expressed concerns about the effect of plastic pollution on an Albany bird species.

Dr Jennifer Lavers, from the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, has studied flesh-footed shearwaters, commonly known as muttonbirds, on the east coast for 10 years.

Dr Lavers has visited Albany for the past five years to compare East and West populations.

She estimates there are about 40,000 breeding pairs of muttonbirds on about 40 islands between south of Perth and Esperance, including colonies on most of Albany’s islands.

Dr Lavers, Southern Cross University PhD student Jann Gilbert and University of WA PhD candidate Plaxi Barratt spent the past week kayaking to Shelter Island daily to study the species, which is listed as vulnerable in WA.

“The main focus of this trip was looking at the impacts of ingesting plastic,” Dr Lavers said.

“It’s impacting the population on the east coast so the big question was what, if any, impact it is having on the West coast.”

Dr Lavers said preliminary findings were plastic pollution was also a problem in Albany.

“We are finding plastic in the birds,” she said.

Dr Lavers said birds, and other marine life, mistook bits of plastic for food.

“One of the birds we looked at this week had died from ingesting a party balloon,” she said.

“Balloons often look like jellyfish or a bit of squid … they cause a lot of damage once they are ingested.

“Five or 10 years ago I never once found a balloon in a seabird’s stomach and now it’s almost every year.

“It’s becoming increasingly common.”