Monitoring van paraffine-achtige stoffen op Nederlandse stranden en in magen van Noordse Stormvogels

Within the KB-Program System Earth Management 2018 (KB-24-002-036) a pilot study was conducted into options to monitor of paraffin- or palmfat-like substances on Dutch beaches and in stomachs of corpses of beached Northern Fulmars. Such substances are, in part legally, discharged by tanker ships cleaning their tanks at sea.Paraffin was chemically identified by the presence of alkanes in the samples. It remains to be investigated in detail which other mineral oil derivatives may show similar alkane patterns. In the absence of alkanes further analyses were conducted to assess the type of material involved.Samples taken from beaches showed to be paraffin in 30 of 32 analyses (94%). One sample contained palmoil related substances, one sample remained unclear but contained phthalates (eg used as plastic softeners). The materials from bird stomachs proved to be different. Paraffin was only found in 31% of 32 samples. In 41% of the stomachs vegetable fatty substances were demonstrated, usually palm oil related. The remainder of samples had an uncertain mix of vegetable and animal fats. The difference between beaches and bird stomachs may have several backgrounds, including attraction for wildlife, melting points, and biodegradability.Over 20% of fulmars found in the Netherlands has chemical suspect materials in the stomach. Not much is known about potential health impacts. Over the years no clear changes can be detected. Quantities of material ingested are highly variable. Frequency of occurrence may slightly reduce over the more recent years, but there is no statistically significant trend. It would make sense to add records on chemical suspect materials in fulmar stomachs to the existing monitoring of plastics in the framework of OSPAR and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Clearly chemical analyses of substances encountered on beaches and in birds is additionally recommended

Message in a belly : Plastic pathways in Fulmars

In the framework of the EU JPI PLASTOX project, this PhD project focused on the effects of ingested plastic on marine wildlife and in particular the northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis). Plastic ingestion by fulmars was studied on Iceland and on Svalbard. Trophic transfer of plastic between predators and their prey was explored, by quantifying plastics ingested by prey fish from the Arctic Ocean and the North Sea. Ingested plastics were categorized according to their material characteristics. A mixture of relevant microplastics was created to be used in environmental impact studies. Experiments were conducted to investigate the transfer of chemicals from ingested plastic to northern fulmars. Furthermore an updated literature overview of species affected by plastics is provided

Finders information Netherlands (2019) : SNS Fulmar Study Report: FINDERSINFORMATION_NL_6THBATCH2019

Report for surveyors in the monitoring program of plastics particles in stomachs of beached northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) with short information and photos of stomach contents of individual birds

Onderzoek naar plastic in magen van noordse stormvogels en andere zeevogels in relatie tot het verlies van MSC-ZOE containers in begin januari 2019

Maaginhouden van in 2019 op de Waddenkust aangespoelde zeevogels zijn onderzocht op de mogelijke aanwezigheid van plastics afkomstig van het MSC ZOE container incident van 1 en 2 januari 2019. Het ging daarbij vooral om industriële polyethyleen plastic pellets en kleine polystyreen korrels. Voor de Noordse Stormvogel is goed vergelijkingsmateriaal aanwezig uit eerdere jaren. Qua hoeveelheid plastics en de aanwezigheid van plastic pellets of polystyreen korrels werden in de stormvogelmagen en darmen geen aanwijzingen gevonden voor directe effecten van het container incident. Voor een aantal andere onderzochte soorten zeevogels is geen goed vergelijkingsmateriaal aanwezig, maar werden geen aanwijzingen gevonden voor plastics die afkomstig waren van het container incident

Finders information United Kingdom - 2020 : SNS Fulmar Study Report: FindersInfo_UK2020_batch4report

This document is an illustrated report for the surveyors in the monitoring program of plastics particles in stomachs of beached Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis). It contains short information and photos of stomach contents of individual birds. In 2020 nine corpses were collected, one of which contained no stomach due to scavenging. Occasional years of lower sample size are not a problem for the monitoring program although larger samples will increase potential for statistical analyses. Averaged values are looked at in the larger samples over 5 consecutive years. Over the 2016-2020 period, 98 stomachs of fulmars from the UK contained an average per bird of 23 particles and 0.16 g of plastic

Finders information Germany (OLD) : SNS Fulmar Study Report: FINDERSINFORMATION_GER_oldbatch

Report for surveyors in the monitoring program of plastics particles in stomachs of beached northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) with short information and photos of stomach contents of individual birds

Inventarisatie aspecten rondom opruimen microplastics na maritieme incidenten

The project Samenwerking Kustverontreiniging na Maritieme Incidenten (Cooperation Coastal Pollution after Maritime Incidents) explores how Rijkswaterstaat can better assist municipalities in cleaning up pollution that washes up on the coast after maritime incidents. In this context, an inventory has been made of methods that can be used to clean up the coastline from microplastics (particularly industrial pellets) that have ended up in the sea as a result of an incident. Broadly speaking, there are three methods used to remove microplastics, namely raking, shovelling or vacuuming, after which a sieve may or may not be used to separate materials. Shovelling or raking are suitable methods for removing plastics from soft sediments without vegetation, such as beaches and possibly tidal flats. On hard substrates, and on moist sand, the 'hoover' is an effective way to collect microplastics reasonably selectively, especially as long as the pellets are still on top of the sand. If the sand is dry, a combination with a sieving system is needed to separate the microplastics from the sand that is also collected. Vacuum cleaning can also be applied to overgrown areas, but as the overgrowth becomes denser, the efficiency with which microplastics are collected decreases. For the vacuum method to work effectively, it is also important to avoid vacuuming coarse (plant) material, as this can quickly clog the vacuum hose. All methods can be used on a small scale, manually, or on a large scale, motorised. Vacuum cleaning seems to be the most suitable method for cleaning up washed-up microplastics from the various substrates. There are a few companies that offer vacuum cleaning systems for the removal of microplastics on the market. These may or may not be equipped with systems that separate the waste, although separating microplastics and plant remains within a size fraction is not possible at present. It is inevitable that organisms will be damaged or removed during clean-up operations. However, if this takes place in a limited area, quick recovery from the surrounding terrain is possible, provided that the structure of the subsurface has not been changed by the clean-up operations. Therefore, vacuuming is preferable to excavating and mowing. To minimise the area that needs to be cleaned up, a fast response after an incident is important, as the plastic can then be cleared while still concentrated in the flood mark. Ideally, an affected beach should be closed to the public so that plastics do not end up deeper in the sand through foot traffic or vehicles. For salt marshes, it is important to act quickly if the plastics are still low on the marshes where the vegetation is less dense. Densely vegetated salt marshes (and silty tidal flats) are difficult to clean without substantial impact on the local system. Ideally, contamination of these areas is prevented by collecting the plastics from the water at an early stage, for example by using oil screens. If microplastics do end up in these areas, 'doing nothing' seems to be the best option, as the impact of the presence of plastic pellets on the ecosystem seems small. However, without specific research, this remains an assumption. It is possible that the ecological effects of pellets are too subtle to be observed under field conditions, but from an ethical and aesthetic point of view, lost waste should always be cleaned up as much as possible. For the further development of knowledge on how best to react after an incident with microplastics, the exchange of knowledge and experience in this field should be promoted within the Netherlands and possibly Europe. If various prototypes of clean-up systems can be tested in this context, a better picture of their actual effectiveness can be obtained. This cooperation may also provide the market perspective that can encourage commercial parties to invest in improving the clean-up methods